Walking Through My Dark Scars and Wounds
by Animation Universe 2005
Summary: My life, my joy, my sorrow, my emotional scars-This is Musaki here and I'm gonna take you guys to my backstory about my entire past with everything before I was adopted by Shifu and the Kung-Fu Masters. Hope you guys like this!
1. Intro: Joyful News

So, this has been inside my head and here we have Musaki's backstory. I'm gonna take you guys though the whole story on how Musaki came to be, where his life is and how he got to live with the kung-fu masters. I had a little help from vampire1031 and in honor of him helping me out with the title, this whole story is dedicated to him, as well as some of my friends who love my character. Now, here's a little intro from Musaki!

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><p>Walking Through My Dark Scars and Wounds<p>

by: Terrell James

Intro

Musaki: Um...hi guys. My name's Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Akio Meng Cheng Xi Wang. You can call me Musaki for short. So, my creator-Animation Universe 2005-has promised you guys to see how I ended up being adopted in the Jade Palace. Well, you guys get to see my back story from the time I was born in Shangahai Secluded Valley to my parent's death to spending 10 years alone at the Bao Gu Orphanage to where I am now. I gotta say it's been a great 2 and a half years of my life so far, because I've been through a lot over the past 12 and a half years, which is why you guys get to see it unfold here about my past; but it's gonna be in my own words. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll lose your heart out to my story, but mostly, you'll cry. As soon as my creator picks it up to speed, you're gonna wanna get some tissues to avoid getting tears on your keyboard.

Animation Universe 2005: Hey, Musaki.

Musaki: Excuse me. (turns around and looks at Animation Universe) Yeah?

Animation Universe 2005: Um...you wanna explain the title to the rest of our friends?

Musaki: Yeah, sure. This is called 'Walking Through My Dark Scars and Wounds.' It tells my backstory as explained on how I got joy when I was born, then replaced with sorrow and anguish, then getting joy back again. I've gotten some emotional scars since I was three when Tai Lung killed my parents and it's what he left me behind with, but now, most of those are healed thanks to my kung-fu family.

Animation Universe 2005: Our awesome friend, vampire1031, helped me with the title name of it via Facebook, so thanks dude!

Musaki: I wish I had a Facebook...thanks, vampire1031!

Animation Universe 2005: Okay...on that note, the chapter is up!

Musaki: Sweet! So, sit back, relax, get some tissues because this is gonna tough your heartstrings and enjoy my backstory-in my own words.

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><p>Chapter 1: Joyful News<p>

16 years ago...

Far away in China, lives a peaceful, tight-knit secluded place called Shanghai Secluded Valley-which I guess lives up to it's name, kinda like the Valley of Peace, but not as few species that live here. Here is where my father-Sakamoto Akio-Meng-and my mother-Bao-Yu Meng-live in a cave somewhere close to town, but really hidden further away. My father sat down on the waterfall, just meditating away while the water rushes through. It became his favorite things to do just to give out inner peace to the world.

He looks at himself in his reflection and still feels a shimmer of inner peace inside of him, which made him do some kung-fu. My dad has been into kung-fu when he was younger and my family soon got into it as well.

"Sakamoto?" asked my mother.

My dad opened his eyes and turns to my mother and he comes over to her and asked, "Yes, my sweet?"

My mom looked at my dad with tears in her eyes, but they were tears of joy because something really wonderful has happened.

My dad looked at her and he noticed that she was big and somehow, he knew what that meant-something really amazing has happened that will ultimately change their lives forever.

"It's happening. We are going to be parents." my mother said.

That made my father feel plenty of joy and he was happy that their dreams of being parents are now being realized. He held her paw and he said, "I know this is going to be a wonderful experience."

"It is a blessing."

Both of them hugged each other they were both crying tears of joy. Soon enough, my grandfather visited them both and he told my dad, "I heard that you're having a baby. Congratulations."

"Thank you, father." my dad said.

My dad gave my grandfather a hug and he also hugged my mother, because it was a joyful experience for both of them.

Later on, they all went around Shanghai Secluded Valley and through the town, my grandfather starting ringing the bell. Of course, when citizens of Secluded Valley hears this, they knew that some really important news is near. So, they all gathered around the town to find out what's all the hubbub.

My grandfather stood on the ground and told everyone, "Attention all citizens of Shanghai Secluded Valley, my son and my daughter-in-law are experiencing some very wonderful news."

Everyone gathered around to find out what the big news were and most of them took guesses. Suddenly, Shin Hai-my dad's best friend, who's a grey wolf-came by and asked, "So, what news is my best friend having?"

"Well, remember when I said all these years that I'm loking forward to start a family?"

"Yeah, you told me that like when we were younger." Shin Hai said.

"That time may be coming sooner."

Soon, everyone gasped in excitement and then Mango-my dad's other friend, he's a rhino, by the way-comes over and gives my dad a noogie and laughs heartily. He told him, "I knew you had it in you! You've got a kid. Wow, congratulations, buddy!"

"Thanks."

My Uncle Mako overheard the news as he runs up to him and gives my dad-his younger brother-a hug. He then jumped in joy and exclaimed, "I'm gonna be an uncle! I'm gonna be an uncle! I'm gonna be a freakin' uncle!"

"Easy, Mako."

"So, is it gonna be a boy or a girl?" asked my grandmother.

"We don't know yet. We need to find out soon enough." my mother said.

"Your own baby. Remember the time I had Cody?" asked Mako.

"Yeah. You were so freaked out, you barely passed out." my dad said.

"But I got to see him for the first time. Sakamoto, I hope you'll be a great father to this kid."

"I will be. I just hope you didn't make the mistake as I did."

"That's all in the past, little brother. I'm gonna enjoy every waking moment I have and I know it's gonna be a wonderful experience."

"You hoping for a boy?"

"Maybe, but who knows?"

Hours later, they went to a doctor across a few miles from there and he announced some great news for both of my parents. He looked at them, smiled and said, "We already know you're gonna have a baby, so you'll be blessed with twin baby boys."

The news soon lit up both of their parents when they heard that they're gonna have a boy-twin boys. My mother smiled joyfully as my father hugged her gently and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." my mother said, emotionally.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be the father of two baby boys."

"Neither can I."

My grandparents, Shin Hai and the rest all waited anxiously at my grandparents' place to see what's happening. They soon see them coming and Shin Hai was the first to come out and my dad looked at him and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, but we just wanted to know. Is it gonna be a boy or a girl?"

"We're gonna tell everyone when we come in." my mother said.

"Of course."

All three of them came in and a bunch of excited faces soon looked at my parents and my father chuckled and said, "For many of you that says that we're gonna have a son, you have answered right."

Shin Hai starts laughing and then hugged my dad tightly and said, "I knew it! I knew you're gonna have a son!"

"But there's more-we're having twin boys."

"Whoa..." the whole wolf pack answered.

"I told you guys! You lost the bet!" Shin Hai exclaimed.

"Whatever!"

My grandfather looked at my dad and said, "I cannot wait to see my grandsons."

"I know. I can barely contain the excitement." my dad said.

"You're having a son? That is the best news of my life." Mako said, happily.

"Me too."

Later as they celebrated, my dad went outside and meditated under the moonlight. He had good reason as well-because as much as he was excited to have a son, he was also very nervous, because my Uncle Mako had a son before he did. So, he knows that he's gonna be a good father and that everyone he loves will have his back.

"Nervous?" asked my uncle.

"Kinda." my dad replied.

"Well, don't worry about it. I was nervous when I had Cody, but once you hold that baby in your arms, it's a feeling that you want to cherish for the rest of your life."

"I understand. But I'm just happy that this is happening."

"As am I. As a little brother, I always look up to you and when you bring your sons into the world, pretty soon, I'll look up to them."

"Mako...I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"If anything ever happens to me and my wife and my sons are around, I want you to take care of them for me."

Mako nodded his head and said, "I will."

"However, if you're unable to do so, I'll leave them with my best friend, Shin Hai, to take care of them also."

"I'm willing to do that for my friend."

They turned around and saw Shin Hai coming out to join Mako and my dad. He sits down and then added, "Although, it's gonna be weird for a wolf to raise a little panda."

My dad lets out a laugh and said, "Well, who knows? I also want you to be my god-father for him."

Shin Hai smiled and said, "I would be most honored."

"I know you will be."

All three of them gave each other a hug and kept talking. My dad was very happy that he's gonna have two boys and my parents are gonna be very excited for this to come and it'll be the most exciting moments of their lives.

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><p>Musaki: Well, it ain't nothing much, but it looks pretty good-for my creator's first time doing a story on my POV.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: I heard that!

Musaki: (chuckles): I bet you're wondering am I born? Why don't you find out on the second chapter where I will tell all!

Both: Until then...I hope you liked it!

Animation Universe 2005: Please leave some awesome reviews!

Musaki: My creator is desperate for a review!

Aniamtion Universe 2005: (glares at Musaki): I'm not that desperate, dude.

Musaki: (mumbled): Sure you are.


	2. The Birth

Hey, Musaki here! Now you'll pretty much know what happens next...the birth of me and Zeke! Here's how it went down...

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><p>Chapter 2: The Birth<p>

Almost 4 months later, my mother was ready to give birth and with my dad by her side, she was able to push through with all the support she can get and with several pushes, out comes a baby cub. When I came out of the womb, I was crying loudly, but my parents were in relief when I came to their lives.

My mother breathed a heavy sigh and then the nurse cleaned me up and then, brought me to her and she held me close. I stopped crying and then I turned silent for a while as I fell asleep. She cuddled me and patted my head and said, "Hello, my sweet baby boy."

My dad looked close and she gave him to me and he held me closely and he felt so moved with it and gave out the biggest smile he ever gave. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw him looking at me for the first time. My mother looks at him and me and she said to me, "You have your father's eyes, little one."

My dad gently stroked my neck and tickled my chin and I started giggling. He then looked at me with tears streaming down on his face as I looked at his eyes for the first time ever. He laughs softly and said, "My son..."

A couple of minutes after my birth, my mother suddenly resumed screaming in pain when another baby panda came out of her. My father continued to hold me and then she held her hand again and he whispered, "I'm here. Just hold on."

Not long after, another baby panda cub came out and it was crying loudly as well, but it was like another big moment for all of us. The nurse cleans him up and gives him to my mother and she looked at him and starts smiling and whispered, "Hello."

So, my dad held me and my mom held my twin brother. My other twin brother finally opens his eyes and my mother looks into his big brown eyes and they looked at me and him and figure that there's something different about both of us.

The nurse explains that we're both fraternal twins that we are twins, but we don't look anything alike. Nevertheless, both of my parents looked into our eyes and already accepted us anyway. It was an emotional moment for both of them as they lay on the side of the cave, just holding each of us.

My dad looked at my mom with a smile and said, "I'm so proud of you."

"We always knew we were gonna be parents. Now it's officially coming true." my mother said.

"I'm definitely the father of two healthy fraternal twin boys."

My father definitely shed some tears and so did my mom, but it was of joy and bliss. When my parents looked at me, they saw me blink and they also saw my twin brother blink as well and we brought in some innocence together, though we never looked at each other.

"So, how are we going so far, dad?" asked my mom.

"I think we might be the coolest."

My mother let out a smile and she looked at me and looked at my father and she realized-I have my dad's eyes and his face. She lets out a small laugh and my dad turned to her and asked, "What's so funny?"

"I look at him and he looks just like you."

"He does?"

"He has your eyes."

My dad looked at me and sees that I do have blue eyes and I looked at him and I have the exact same blue eyes he has. He was surprised and replied, "You're right. He does look like me."

My mother kept smiling and said, "Now I know where he gets it from."

"I wouldn't consider that, because he also has your dimples."

My dad gave me to her and she looked at my face and sees that we have the same dimples. She laughs softly and said, "Okay, you got me."

Then, she turned to my twin brother and he had my mother's brown eyes. She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek and said, "You look exactly like me, don't you? You also have your mother's chin."

My mother looked at my chin and sees that we do have the same chin. She chuckled and said, "Good point. At least his is a little smaller than mine."

Suddenly, my grandfather came along the cave with enthusiasm and said, "Is it okay if we come in?"

"Sure." my mother replied, happily.

Soon, everyone came in the cave and they saw us for the first time and they all let out a collective, "Aw..."

My grandmother looked at me for the first time and said, "He looks so cute and adorable."

"Yes, he is."

My mother let her hold me and she rubbed my head softly while my grandfather looked at my other brother and held him as well. They then switched baby panda cubs and it was the first time that I actually saw him. He looked into my deep blue eyes and he smiled at me and said, "You look a lot like your father."

My dad laughs and said, "I guess. But it's wonderful, regardless."

They then gave him back to us and Shin Hai came over to my dad and felt a wave of emotion sweeping through him and said, "I finally got that feeling of what it's like to be a father for the first time."

"You just feel joy surrounding you when you hold that baby in your arms for the first time and you realize that every waking moment you see your kid's face for the first time is of pure joy, happiness and to see those innocent, smiling faces."

Shin Hai smiles and looks at me for the first time and said, "Hey, little guy. I'm your dad's best friend."

He picks me up and then, I looked at his teeth and I started crying loudly. Shin Hai looked very nervous and gave me back to him and I stopped crying as my dad held me. He chuckled and said, "I think he'll get used to you when he's older."

"You know I love kids, right?"

"I know you do. I'm gonna make you my god-father."

Shin Hai's heart was warming up a bit and said, "I will be honored to be look after your son."

He then looked at my twin brother while Mako was in front of him and said, "Who's this little one?"

He picks him up, looks at him for a while and then, he pees at Shin Hai, which was kinda unexpected. Shin Hai looks down and sees the 'gift' my twin brother left him on his shirt. He giggled softly and Shin Hai was kinda understanding and he gave him back to his mother. She laughs and said, "I think he likes you."

Shin Hai chuckled softly and said, "It's not the first time I got peed on, but also the first time I got a number one from a panda."

Mako chuckled and said, "I think this kid is a mischief."

He then looked at me and he picked me up and said, "Hey, buddy. I'm your uncle."

I looked at my uncle for the first time and it was one of the best moments I've ever felt and then, he looked at my brother and he held both of us. He then looked at my father and asked, "Have you guys thought up of names yet?"

"We need to think of one." my mother said.

My father looks at me and said, "I'll name him after my trainer back in the Valley of Peace-Saki Mu."

My mother smiled and said, "How about... Musaki? Sounds better?"

"That's a good name. I'll also name him...Xing-Fu, after my father's grandfather."

"Why Xing-Fu?" asked Mango.

"Look at his face."

Mango looks at my face for the first time and I was smiling the whole time. My dad smiled and said, "In Japanese, 'Xing-Fu' means 'joyful and happiness'."

"Oh, okay."

Then, my grandfather came to my dad and said, "He's got so much ko and kanji."

"Yeah, I know."

Shin Hai looked confused and asked, "Uh...what?"

"Ko is Japanese for 'happiness, light and peace' while kanji stands for 'innocence.' Looking at Xing-Fu, he's got a lot of those."

Looking at me, Shin Hai already sees my face and my eyes and I start giggling. He chuckled and said, "Now I understand."

"Xing-Fu Musaki Ko Kanji Akio-Meng." his father said.

My mother went in and asked, "Can I have a go at it? How about we add another name after my teacher-Cheng."

"Cheng?" asked my grandmother.

"'Accomplished' in Chinese, because I know for a fact that he'll accomplish anything."

"I like that name." my dad said.

"And we'll add another one, 'Xi-Wang'; meaning joyful and happiness."

Then, it hit both of my parents; my father announced my full name to everyone. He clears his throat and said, "This baby's full name is Xing-Fu Musaki Ko Kanji Akio-Meng Cheng Xi-Wang."

Everyone fell in love with that name and my mother said, "I like the name Musaki better. It kinda sounds...sweet."

"Can I still call him Xing-Fu?" asked my father.

"You can call him Xing-Fu and I'll call him Musaki." my mother answered.

"Sure thing, my sweet."

"And what about the other one?" asked my grandfather.

"Well, I thought of a name if we had twins and that I'll name one Xing-Fu and another one Ezekiel." my father replied.

"That's a wonderful name."

My mother looked at my brother and gave him a name. She smiled and said, "Ezekiel Meng."

"How about we give him a middle name, because there is a bit of Japanese descent in him?" asked my grandmother.

"Daisuke. It means 'great helper' in Japanese." my father said.

"That's a great one."

"Now we need a chinese name." Mako said.

"How about...Zahou? I'm naming it after my father." my mother said.

"That's perfect."

"Ezekiel Daisuke Zahou Akio-Meng."

My grandfather came towards my father and he told him, with tears in his eyes, "These are the blessings that I'm gonna be blessed with for the rest of my life."

"I know, my son. I am so proud of you."

He walked up to my dad and hugged him tightly. He whispered, "I'm gonna be a great father...just like you."

"You already have."

Soon, everyone in the entire cave looked at us and me and Zeke looked at each other for the first time and instantly became brothers. That day has immensely brought in joy in our parents lives and we know that their lives have changed forever. Hours later, my mother gave us a blanket that she made and we crawled in it and then, we were all falling asleep and me and Zeke slept on my dad's belly for the rest of the night. He chuckled and said to us, "Good night...my sons."

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><p>Musaki: Aww, that's so cute. Sometimes I wish moments like this could stay forever.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: But it couldn't last forever.

Musaki: What do you mean?

Animation Universe 2005: Well, I know you've met Zeke almost 2 years ago, so I thought what might happen to him and that you guys wouldn't see each other until you got older.

Musaki: Oh...I guess that makes sense...kind of.

Animation Universe 2005: The third chapter will have some serious moments and let me tell you it's gonna be one heck of a warfare!

Musaki: While you do that, I'll meditate.

Animation Universe 2005: Just read and review, please.


	3. Sacrificing

We're back! Now we get to unlock the reason why I never saw Zeke again. This chapter will explain as I explain it to you.

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><p>Chapter 3: Sacrificing<p>

A few days have passed since our births and my parents were very joyful about the both of us. But it became apparent that some of my father's so-called 'friends' of Shanghai Secluded Valley often made fun of my father's Japanese heritage. One of the villagers went towards my father as he took me to see my grandfather and it wasn't long until they saw me and began to make mean comments about it.

"Nice baby cub, Sakamoto. What did you do, adopt him?" asked one of the villagers.

Most of them started laughing at him, but he never lets it go to his head, so he walked off and says nothing as he held me tightly. Then, it soon hit us that everyone else in the valley would make fun of my father because of the way he is and the worst thing was me being there to actually witness it for the first time and I was a newborn. The villagers would whisper false comments and derogatory things about him.

"Hey, Sakamoto! Heard you gave birth to twin boys. Are they either Chinese or Japanese? I'm confused."

My father kept ignoring them as we made our way and suddenly, the entire crowd laughed at us and they even threw some tomatoes at him and me as well. Suddenly, Shin Hai quickly came over to them as he leaped up and went in front of him and let out a huge growl as he defended us.

Shin Hai didn't like to see my dad go through things like this and he told them, "Why won't you give my best friend a break?"

"I think it's safe to say that Sakamoto's kind does not belong here. Maybe we should send him and his kid back to Japan." another villager commented,as they walked off.

"You're lucky I didn't rip your freakin' face off!" Shin Hai growls.

"Shin Hai, can you come with us to see my father?" asked Sakamoto, calmly.

He looked at them with those bloodshot red eyes and then, he calms himself down and replied, "Sure."

The other villagers stared at not only my father, but at Shin Hai with an ugly look and one said, "Why would a wolf defend a Japanese panda?"

"We're all different, but he's special. If you walked a mile on his feet, you would understand." Shin Hai said, his voice lowered.

He stood up and followed my father on the way to my grandfather's house. Shin Hai looked at him and asked, "Why couldn't you have fought these guys?"

"It never solves anything, Shin Hai. You know that." my dad replied.

Shin Hai sighed heavily and told him, "You're right. It's just...I'm just tired of seeing everyone I've grown to love getting mistreated because of who they are."

"They just don't understand. But someday, when I take my father's place as leader of Shanghai Secluded Valley, they will understand. It is their problem that they do this because they do not know better."

"Let's hope. I just hope that I get to be there by your side."

"You always will be. And my little Xing-Fu...he'll brighten up the rest of the world."

We eventually made it to my grandfather's house where they see my mother and my brother Zeke there as well as my grandparents and my uncle Mako and his sons; Cody, Tsunami, Samurai and his daughter Zoey-which grew to my cousins-inside the house. Mako looks at my brother and then he looks at me and waves 'hi' to me. I grabbed his nose and I started laughing and my uncle felt somewhat a little awkward about it. He wanted me to let go of it, but I couldn't let it go and I kept holding on to his nose.

My father laughs and said, "He got your nose."

"I can see that."

My uncle then introduced me to his kids; Cody, Tsunami, Samurai and Zoey. Cody looked at me and said, "Hey, I'm your cousin."

"I'm your cousin too." Tsunami said, happily.

Both Zoey and Samurai are both baby panda cubs, though she was a newborn and Samurai's a year and a half. Mako looks at them and he tells my father, "They love him. Isn't it great?"

"I'm so happy for you and your newborn baby as well." my father said.

"I'm kinda nervous. This is my first daughter."

"You've handled sons, so I think a daughter shouldn't be hard to raise, even though she does take after your wife."

My mother looks at Mako and said, "I think your first daughter will be a blessing to you."

She then introduced my uncle's kids to my brother, Zeke. They all felt a subliminal amount of happiness and joy coming in both of us and all across the room...until my grandfather sensed something.

My grandmother knew that look and she asked, "What is it, Oak Sung?"

"Something's coming. Something...dangerous."

My father heard what he said and he held me tightly and asked, "What's coming, father?"

Seconds later, they hear a rumbling sound come out of nowhere and we didn't know what's going on. My father knew that when my grandfather sensed something unusual, he knew something was wrong. I didn't like hearing the sound of it and it scared me to death and I just started crying. My dad looked at me and he held me and said, "Shh, everything's gonna be okay."

Then, it happened.

A stampede of gorillas came over to bring harm to our village and my grandfather went out there and they saw all of the residents there running for their lives, closing the doors and windows while they were running loose. He went across the other side of town and alerted everyone to take immediate shelter. They all went around and one of the gorillas saw my grandfather and managed to beat him down.

My father sees this and he asked Mako to watch out for me and he gave me to him me while he went out there to protect my father. Shin Hai went out of the house to get his wolf pack to take down those gorillas. Not long after, they assembled already, waiting for Shin Hai to lead the way.

"We've got gorillas heading this way." one pack member exclaimed.

"Don't worry. They won't cause trouble in our home!" Shin Hai cried out.

They all went in and fought all of the gorillas. It was like a gorilla-wolf warfare out there and I was so scared to death that I kept crying and my uncle shushed me and puts his arms around me and gave me a hug. Soon, we hear a scream come out and we were horrified to see one gorilla breaking into my grandfather's house and going after my mother and my twin brother.

"Bao-Yu!" my uncle cried.

My mother ran off with him and as she tried to get out and find my father, one gorilla caught her off and planned to harm her. Before he even puts his hands on her, my father went in and got his club to whack him in the head with it and he whacked him hard. He turned to her and said, "Go! Protect our son while you still can!"

"Be careful!" she exclaimed.

"Where is Xing-Fu?"

"Mako's looking out for him!"

One gorilla spots her quickly and said, "Get her!"

"You stay away from my wife!"

"Your wife is mine!"

My dad grew really angry and he charged at him and started fighting him while my mother ran off with Zeke. She kept running and then all of these gorillas surround him when they saw my brother. She kept running, knowing that they'll be after Zeke, but with each chance she can try to not bring harm to him, they kept blocking her out of the way.

My dad came in with a huge hammer and managed to hit their faces with it. He cornered them and told my mom, "Take our son somewhere safe!"

My mom ran off and wanted to hide Zeke away, but with so many gorillas around, she was afraid for him to get hurt, so she made the most hardest choice she ever made-giving him up. The fact that she wanted to do that so he wouldn't get hurt crushed her emotionally, but she wanted to keep him alive. She looked at my brother and she hugged him tightly.

She found an old vegetable box with carrots and beets in it and placed him in there close to the river. My mother looked at him with tears in her eyes and she knew he heard him crying, so she shushed him, kissed his forehead and gave her his last hug and whispered, "I love you."

And then, she ran off while the river keeps moving and Zeke started crying loudly and those gorillas came in and planned to harm my mom, but then they were apprehended with a light beam coming out of my father and it hit them harder. All of the gorillas screamed in pain and then, it flew them out of the valley and into another area in China. They went so high up, they never even reached the ground.

All of the citizens of Shanghai Secluded Valley were saved and that my father definitely saved all of us. My mother was safe and sound as well as she ran towards him and hugged him tightly. He looked at her and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am."

"Where is Zeke?"

My mother fell silent for a while as she lowered her head down and started crying softly. My dad was kinda scared to even think of the worst possible scenario and asked, "Is he...dead?"

"No, he's not dead. I...I couldn't let let those gorillas harm my Zeke if they kept surrounding me, so...I...I decided the safest way possible was to give him up."

My father stood there stunned and so did the rest of the valley. I never actually heard about this, but I sorta knew-even as a newborn-that I was never gonna see him anymore. He closed his eyes and got down on his knees and asked, "You gave him up...for us?"

"I wasn't gonna let him die. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, Sakamoto. But I know that...he'll always love us and no one's gonna bring harm to him with another family."

My dad sighed sadly that she did something like this, but he understood the fact that he wouldn't bear to let Zeke die, if the gorillas continued to rage war on our home. He looked at her and said, "At least...I got to see him one last time."

Mako came out with me and he gave me back to my dad and he held him tightly. He looked into my eyes and already knows my blue eyes and he can tell it was me. I looked at him and saw him cry and he hugged me tightly.

My mother smiled at me and she held me and gave me a hug as well and she tickled my chin and whispered, "My little Musaki..."

"At least we have our Xing-Fu." my father said.

Everyone looked very sad that day that despite no harm or fatalities have occured, they pretty much knew that Zeke isn't coming back. So, my father turned to the others and said, "My Xing-Fu's still here, but our Zeke...has gone away. He's not dead, but at least I know in my heart that my wife has kept him safe from harm and she has sacrificed Zeke to keep him from being hurt. Even though we just got him, we'll take care of our Xing-Fu."

My mother gace me to him and raised him up in the air and they took a bow to honor our family and my father continues, "He will bring kibou to the world."

"Lots of hope for us all." my grandfather said.

Hours later, my grandfather decided to put in a sign on my paw to remember to keep hope alive. He pretty much knew that it was the same sign my dad's paw had, so he decided to do it himself. He put in the sign on my right paw and it barely hurt a bit when he stuck it on there.

My dad looked at me and looked at paw and then, showed me his as well and said, "There's something special about you. Always remember: you are the most special panda here. Even if your brother is gone, you will always be special to us."

* * *

><p>Musaki: (looking at the kibou sign on his paw): Now everytime I look at this sign, I think of what happened that day.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: Intense, wasn't it?

Musaki: The fact that I remembered it so young, it's weird but if it wasn't for my mother giving up Zeke, we never would've found each other.

Animation Universe 2005: You're a lucky dude.

Musaki: Guess I am.

Animation Universe 2005: Okay, well make with the reviews please. Musaki needs some good feedback!

Musaki: PLEEEEEEASE! And the next chapter will be totally cool.

Animation Universe 2005: We get to see Musaki turn one! You'll love this. So until then, read and review ASAP!


	4. One and a Half Year Old

One year later...here's where I grew from a baby cub to a young cub.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: One and a Half Year Old<p>

A year has passed since my birth and Zeke's birth as well as Zeke gone away from us and it has brought Shanghai Secluded Valley together after those raids with gorillas.

My father was meditating near the waterfall and he was bring in some peace within himself as well as practicing kung-fu as well. He made a few kung-fu moves and I popped out of nowhere, just watching him. At that point, I was only a one year old and I didn't know what I was doing, other than watching my dad.

I saw him jump up and did a kung-fu pose and it made me impressed. I walked out of the cave and I hid, so he wouldn't see me. He turned around and thought he heard something, but he didn't know it was me.

So, he looked away and I popped up and he turned around and I hid and let out a small giggle. I went in towards the rocks near the waterfall and I was really to pounce him. I then popped out and jumped up, let out a roar and went in my father.

My father started laughing and said, "Oh no! Don't eat me!"

I growled playfully and I said, "You cannot escape from me!"

My dad ran and I chased him and we got to play with each other and my dad caught me by his feet and he lifted me up and down and I was laughing and he was laughing as well and I then got on his back.

"Hey, son." my dad said.

"Hiya, papa."

"I see you've grown quite a bit."

"I have?"

"Yes. Wanna meditate with me?"

"Medit-t-t-t-tate?"

My dad chuckled and figured that I couldn't pronounce it prooperly and he said, "Meditate."

"Med-it-tate."

"Close enough." he said, laughing.

I meditated with him anyway and while he was doing that, I looked at the water and then got closer to it, but then I saw my dad watching me with his one eye open, so I got back to meditating. He chuckled softly and he sees that I'm learning so quickly. My mother came out and saw me and my dad meditate together and said, "Hello, boys."

My dad looked up and he saw my mother there and said, "Hi, sweetie."

"Just want to let you know that your sister told me that she's coming over here with her new child."

My dad looked very amazed to find out his sister-my aunt-has a baby. He looked very happy and said, "That's great. What's the baby's name?"

"Kato."

"That's wonderful. When I can I see him?"

"Right now, Saka!"

My aunt came over and she was holding her baby cub and my father was so moved by it and he looked at Kato for the first time and felt a wave of emotion. He looked at her and said, "Jing Ki...this is the most wonderful child I've ever seen."

"Thank you, big brother." she said.

"You wanna meet my son?" asked my dad.

He picked me up and it was the first time I ever saw Kato. He said, "Say 'hi'."

"Hello." I said.

Kato yawned and then giggled softly and my aunt looked at me and said, "You look just like him?"

"I do?" I asked.

"Yes."

"This is a wonderful sight to see."

"I heard about what happened last year. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. We're lucky because we have Xing-Fu with us."

Later on, most of the wolf pack and Shin Hai came to our house and they saw me with him. Shin Hai came over to my dad and said, "Hey, buddy. What's up?"

"Not a lot. Just gonna put little Xing-Fu to bed." my dad responded.

"Hello." I called out.

Shin Hai and most of the wolves were surprised that I began talking. He looked at me and said, "Hey, kid. How's it going?"

"Good."

"Yeah? These are my wolf pack-my friends and family."

Most of the pack waved at me and I waved back at them and started giggling. Shin Hai chuckled and told me, "You've grown, haven't you?"

"Uh-huh."

"How old are you, kid?"

"One."

"Ohh..you're practically almost grown-up."

"...and a half."

"A half?"

"Yeah."

"Your kid looks cute." one wolf member said.

"Thanks. We managed to sorta...keep it in perspective and everything. This little guy makes my day better."

"Well, we just wanted to come by and see if there's anything we can do for him, just let us know. If you need a babysitter or whatever, we're here." Shin Hai said.

"I appreciate that, thank you."

My mother came in and she greeted the wolves and she picked me up and said, "Hello, Musaki. It's time for a bath."

I groaned and asked, "Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

She carried me outside to give me a bath and I pretty much didn't feel like I needed one, but what could I do? Shin Hai chuckled and asked my dad, "How does bathtime function with him?"

"Don't ask. We kinda struggle with him getting a bath, but my wife eventually got him used to it with her around. With me...it's the same. We tag team basically and one of us plays with him."

"That's seems like work."

"Yeah, but at least it'll give us insight."

Later on, we were getting ready for bed and my mom get my blankie and I held it tightly and gave it a hug. My dad then told me a story about how he got rid of the gorillas and I fell asleep before he reached the end of it. He tucked me in and he chuckled softly and said, "Good night, Xing-Fu."

My mother gave me a kiss and whispered, "I love you."

We all slept together and I felt really safe with them, knowing that they'll always be here with me.

Months later, it started snowing and I looked outside and saw them falling down. I got out and caught some snow and started to play with it. My mother sees me playing outside and I showed her I caught the snow.

"What you got there, Musaki?"

"Snow. Look at it!" I exclaimed.

"That's good."

I start giggling and I continued catching the snow and I looked at my mom and I said, "Come on, catch it with me."

She followed me and we caught some snow together and we were all having fun. Later, my parents gave me some presents and they gave me a teddy bear and a blue necklace. I hugged my teddy bear so tightly and I asked, "What are we gonna call him?"

"Sparky. Because you've got a lot of energy and spark." my dad said.

And then, my mother gave me a golden blue and red necklace and I asked, "Is that mine too?"

"Yes."

She explained that this necklace has been worn for generations from her family, though the letter of my mom's families names changed and I was fortunate to wear it. I looked at it and I saw some writing on the back and I asked, "What's it say, mama?"

She looked at it and it reads, "'You Are Not Alone, for I am here with you. Though you're far away, I am here to stay. For You Are Not Alone, for I am where with you, though you're far apart, you're always in my heart for you are not alone.' As long as you wear this, we will always be by your side no matter what."

I smiled and said, "Thanks, mama."

My dad came in and said, "I hope you remember this Christmas, my son. Know that we'll always be here for you and we'll be in your heart."

"I will."

"Promise me you won't forget about us."

"I won't. I promise."

Later, I fell asleep on my mom's back with my necklace on and she whispered, "Good night, my little Musaki."

"Merry Christmas, Xing-Fu."

* * *

><p>Musaki: To be young and innocent again...<p>

Animation Universe 2005: You're still young and innocent.

Musaki: Duh!

Animation Universe 2005: Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Musaki: Don't forget to leave some reviews!


	5. Stormy Night

In this chapter, there is one thing you may not know about me...I have a phobia. I'm kinda embarassed to say this, but I was so mortified of two things. I don't wanna give it away, so why don't I leave it to my creator to clear this up.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: Stormy Night<p>

Months went by fast and my father was about to head over to my Uncle Mako's place along with me and my mother and when we got there, he was ecstatic to see us come in the house. I got to see my cousins for a while and suddenly, I see my parents leave and I wanted to follow them, but they stopped me immediately.

I didn't quite understand it, so I asked, "Where are you going?"

"We're going towards the other side of the valley to take care of my sick grandfather." my mother said.

I felt like I should go with them, but my father told me, "So you get to stay with your uncle until we come back."

I grew a little concerned about this, knowing that I've never gone anywhere without my parents before, so I asked, "How long will you be gone?"

"Only for a few days."

For me, it seemed like forever to wait until they come back, so as they were about to leave, I just leaped up and grabbed on to my dad's leg because I didn't want him to go anywhere, so I held on to him with tears and exclaimed, "I don't want you to go!"

"We have to."

"Don't leave me here!"

"It'll be okay, little Xing-Fu. Your uncle's gonna be taking good care of you."

I was looking at him with tears in my eyes because I didn't know when he was coming back and I was scared something bad might happen and I said, crying, "I wanna go with you!"

"Xing-Fu, I'll take good care of you." Mako told me, in a comforting voice.

I didn't believe what he said and then he told me, "I promise you he'll come back."

I looked at my dad and he nodded his head, reassuring that my parents will come back. He crouched down and gave me a hug and whispered, "Don't you worry about a thing, Xing-Fu. Your Uncle Mako is here and I know he will take good care of you. It won't be long, but I assure you that we'll come back for you as soon as we can."

I still didn't want them to go, but then I looked at my dad and he let out a small nod and Mako nodded as well, so I sighed sadly, let out a small sniffle and said, "Okay."

I let go of his leg and my dad gave me another hug and whispered, "We will come back, little one. I promise."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Then, they left and a couple of minutes later, I was getting so sad about them leaving. I've never been away from my parents and watching them go was the hardest thing for me. My uncle looked at me and asked, "Are you okay, Saki?"

"Mm-hmm." I said, sadly.

"You miss your parents, huh?"

I nodded my head slowly and he patted my head and told me, "They will come back."

Hearing that again made me feel worse, so I walked away. Within a couple of hours, he was looking for me and then he looked up at the sky and see the clouds forming like rainstorms. He knew that it's gonna rain and he grew really worried and said, "I hope Little Xing-Fu's all right."

Later on, he ran across the back of the house and he heard the thunder explode and saw the lightning strike and he heard a loud scream come out of nowhere. He quickly ran over towards the tree and when he got there, he saw me shaking in fear. Mako slowly walked towards me and figures that I was scared of thunderstorms. He gently puts his hand on my head and whispered, "Are you okay?"

I couldn't look at him, but I responded, "I'm scared..."

"Of what?"

Then, another sound of thunder came out of nowhere and I was so scared, I broke down crying. Mako thought to himself, 'He's scared of thunder. Poor little guy.'

"Wanna go inside?"

Another sound of thunder struck and it was louder than the last ones and I was too scared to go anywhere, so I hid. He came in front of me and he saw some of my tears fall down on my face. So, he picked me up and brought me inside the house. I was soaking wet from the rain, so he dried me off in his room.

"Feel better now?"

Then, another sound of thunder came in and the lightning struck, this time like a huge monster coming in and I was so terrified that I hid in the corner of the room. I didn't know what to do, other than the fact that my parents are gone.

"I miss my mama and papa!" I exclaimed, crying.

It killed my uncle to see me like this and he didn't know what to do, so he picked me up and placed a blanket on me and held me tightly, in hopes of making the fear go away, but it wasn't even enough. I couldn't stop crying and Mako told me, softly, "Don't worry. Your parents will come back before you know it."

"But when? I need them now!"

"Saki, I'm here to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you. I promised your dad I would take care of you."

"Because he asked you to." I replied.

"No, because I'm your uncle and because I want to. I will always be here for you and so will your mom and dad and we know that we will never leave you alone. I'm doing this because we love you."

I started crying again, but this time it was feeling happy this time. I looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Making you worried about me."

"It's okay. You're my little nephew."

I sniffled a little, but I was smiling and I grabbed his nose again and he lets out a little laugh. Then, I hugged him tightly and said, "I love you, uncle."

"I love you too, nephew."

My eyes were closing up and I started to go to sleep and my uncle looked at me falling asleep. He put me down on the couch and whispered, "Good night, Musaki."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: I didn't know you were that scared of a thunderstorm before.<p>

Musaki: I still am to this day.

Animation Universe 2005: Hard to get over, huh? It'll take some time.

Musaki: Don't tell anyone about this, especially to Po.

Animation Universe 2005: Your secret's safe with me. All right, so you saw Musaki's double phobia, now the next chapter will be very interesting. Not good with spoilers, but let's say Musaki's gonna be maturing a little, so stay tuned!


	6. Coming Home and Maturing

Days later...I eventually got used to my parents being away and knowing that they'll come back brought me a lot of hope. So, if you read this, you can imagine the joy I felt when I saw my parents again.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Coming Home and Maturing<p>

A few days have passed since my parents went away and I still miss them terribly, but I think as time went on, I started getting used to it and I know for a fact that they'll come back for me and I have my uncle to take care of me. I was playing with my cousins and it was pretty fun for a while. My uncle Mako looked at me while I was playing and he watched me smile and he smiled as well that I was happy.

"Hey, I bet you can't catch me!" Cody exclaimed.

I panted and then I snickered softly and said, "I bet I can!"

We both chased each other and then, he started running faster and so did I and I got closer to him and tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Tag, now you're it!"

"Hey, no fair!"

"Now I get to chase you."

We chased each other around the backyard along with Tsunami while Samurai and Zoey watched as well. Suddenly, his wife-my aunt-came in and told my uncle, "I saw your brother coming back."

He raised his eyes and said, "That's great. I know young Musaki will be happy to hear this."

Later on, my parents came back to the house and they greeted each other and embraced each other and my uncle said, "Your son's gonna be so happy to see you come in."

"Really? Why?" asked my mother.

"When you guys left, poor little guy felt crushed. We had a little storm after you left and he was so scared."

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you-Xing-Fu has a fear of thunderstorms." my dad said.

"And you're telling me this now?"

"Well, we didn't have time, but I knew it was storming out there, so we had to leave before it grows worse. Was he okay?"

"He was mortified and he misses you terribly like every night."

"Aw, bless his little heart." my mother said.

"Want me to let him know you're here?" asked Mako.

"Of course."

Mako gets up and he calls me up for something. I quickly ran over to the house and when I got there, I suddenly stopped and saw my parents sitting there. My dad looked at me and said, "Xing-Fu!"

I was so happy to see them that I quickly leaped over to my dad and I gave him a big hug and he embraced it as well and he looked at me and said, "I told you we'd be back."

My mother hugged me as well and asked, "How've you been, Musaki?"

"Fine, I guess." I replied.

"The first night was kinda difficult because of the storm, but as time went on, he was doing fine even though he missed you guys."

I looked at them and said, "I knew you'd come back."

"See? We kept our promise."

"You know, when your dad makes a promise, he keeps it."

* * *

><p>A couple of months later, I was at home, playing with my mom and we were just running around and then looked at the sky together, just talking and laughing with each other. She looked at me and said, "So, I can't believe my little Musaki is two. You're getting much older now."<p>

I looked at myself and said, "I don't feel any older."

"No, but you're growing."

"I am?"

"Yes."

"Wow. I never thought of it that way. Is growing up...scary?"

"No. You've got plenty of time to be a grown-up. Just enjoy being a kid."

I smiled at her and we looked at the clouds together and I loved this moment that I wished it would never go away. Then, my father came by and said, "Happy 2nd birthday, Xing-Fu."

"Thanks, dad."

"It is a sign."

I got confused and asked, "Uh...a sign of what?"

"You're growing. You're not a little baby cub anymore, but still a cub. Looks like you're maturing."

"Maturing? What's that?"

"When you act your age."

"Maturing..."

Soon after, I went into the inside of the cave and I saw some ink there and I went around and did some drawings around the walls. However, when I saw my dad came in, I stopped and my drawings caught his attention. I was kinda nervous because I thought for sure I might be in some trouble. I laughed innocently and my dad stared at me, but then became understanding and said, "Being a little creative, aren't we?"

"Creative?"

"You make great drawings. But...it's missing something."

"What?"

He takes my paw, dumps it on the ink and then puts my hand on the wall. I looked at it and I said, "It's pretty."

Then, he adds some writing there under my paw and it reads, "As you grow up, please always remember that no matter where you go, you will always have love deep down in your heart. Always know that your mother and I will be in your heart, Xing-Fu."

I looked at it and he told me, "As long as you feel lonely, just remember that we will always be here for you."

We hugged each other and then, my mother came in and gave me a new teddy bear. I gave it a hug and then I gave him a name.

"I'll name him...Panko."

My parents looked at each other, but they knew I have a way with words and they thought it was cute. I looked at them and said, "Thank you. This is the best day ever."

Then, I put Panko in with Sparky and I said, "Sparky, you've got a new best friend."

I looked back at them and I smiled at both of them. They smiled as well and it was the best birthday ever for me.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: You've got two teddy bears?<p>

Musaki: Yeah. I still have both of them now.

Animation Universe 2005: Memories of your parents, huh?

Musaki: Uh-huh.

Animation Universe 2005: Well, the next chapter will examine how much time you spend with your dad and learning a few things from him. So, stay tuned as how Musaki's father teaches his son about the flute and kung-fu.

Musaki: Yeah, you guys will love to see the times I spent with my dad. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna hone my flute skills.


	7. Learning from Dad

Thought I might add in on what I like to do with my dad. It's every son's desire to learn from his father. It's what got me interested in both playting the flute and introducing me to kung-fu. So, here's how it went down...

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Learning from Dad<p>

As time went by, one day while I was taking a nap, I hear someone playing some music. It woke me up a little and I wanted to find out where it came from. As soon as I came outside, I saw my dad playing an instrument while he was sitting there on one of the rocks. I always figured that my dad had a musical talent and that it always put me to sleep when he does my lullaby.

I got closer and watched him for a couple of minutes and then he stopped and saw me behind him. I was clapping and he was smiling to know that someone was listening to him playing. He picks me up and said, "I guess I have a little audience here."

"What's that you were playing?" I asked.

He shows it to me and responded, "This is my flute."

"Flute?"

"Yeah, your grandfather hand-carved his own when he was younger and I always heard him play it for so many years. Then, he made one for me and he always taught me how to play it and we would do it together. I was about your age when I first got it and I've always had it since."

"Wow. Can you teach me how to play the flute?"

My dad knew that question was coming up, being as I am two years of age that I'm starting to learn a few things with my father, that he can show me how to play the flute. He brought in an extra flute in case I wanted to learn how to play. He said, "How to play the flute takes years of practice and to have good lungs to just let out some feelings you have. Watch what I do."

He starts playing a tune and I did the same. He smiled with approval and he starts playing another and I played it too and then it became apparent that we both started playing one tune at a time. I looked at the flute and noticed that there were holes in there.

"Dad, why do they have holes in them? Shouldn't we fix it?"

My dad laughs heartily and said, "Son, those holes are for each tune that we play on our fingers."

"Oh, okay."

We started playing the flutes together and it was filled up with amazing feelings we never knew we had before. By that point, I was taught how to play the flute. It became one of those father-son moments that we had to have. I learned how to play the flute for several months closer to a year and even during that time, I got interested in kung-fu.

One day, my dad and my grandfather were showing some kung-fu moves and I was watching as well. I started copying what they do because I had an unknown interest. Back then, it didn't matter if I was interested in it. Everything my dad did, I could do it too. Soon after, my grandfather noticed this and my dad saw me doing some kung-fu moves and both of them started laughing.

"Hey, son. Come here." my dad said.

I went over to him and he asked, "Learning kung-fu?"

"Kung-fu?"

"Yeah. Your grandfather wanted me to make sure I still got it."

"i was just watching you guys jump around and do some cool stuff and I thought I might want to do it too."

"That's kung-fu."

"What is kung-fu?"

"Little Xing-Fu, 'kung fu' means excellence of self. Be the best you can be." my grandfather said.

"Be the best I can be..."

"Yeah, be your best at no matter what you do. We will always stand behind you."

I smiled and said, "Okay."

"Want us to show you how?"

"Yeah."

My grandfather did some kung-fu moves and we made some hand and leg movements and I had to use every ounce of learning I can muster from them. My dad stepped in and demonstrated some pretty cool moves I can do. I did the same and made a kung-fu pose, which in turn impressed both of them. My grandfather said, "Your son's got a gift."

"There's always something special about Xing-Fu that I never knew. But what I do know...there is something special about him."

As time went on, my dad taught me kung-fu throughout and showed me everything I did. When I would make a few mistakes, he would correct them for me but would be very understanding about it because he used to mess up every time he does some moves when he was young. My dad looked in my eyes and he would smile most of the time and I smiled back at him as well. We always formed a father-son relationship just by spending time with him.

My mother would see me get along with my dad and she would smile at any given moment. She came over to us and said, "Hello, boys."

"Hey, sweetie." my dad said.

"Hi, mama." I said.

She chuckled softly and held me tightly and said, "My little Musaki."

I didn't quite understand why my dad calls me 'Xing-Fu' and my mom calls me 'Musaki' and I asked, "Why do you call me Musaki?"

"Well, that's the name we gave you. Your grandfather named you 'Xing-Fu' and your father uses it most of the time and I call you 'Musaki' all the time because I love the name as well."

"I don't understand, mama."

She chuckled softly and said, "You will, my son."

Later on, I visited my Uncle Mako's place where I saw my cousins-Cody, Tsunami, Samurai and Kato where we all played hide-and-seek together. I did the counting while they did the hiding.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

I didn't see anyone, so I had to be very sneaky to find them easily. I looked over at some of the areas around the backyard and in one of the trees, I found Cody there and exclaimed, "Gotcha!"

"How'd you find me?"

"Lucky guess."

Then, I snuck around and found Kato and Samurai and chased them and finally, I found Tsunami and we all chased each other and started laughing. We all sta down on the ground and Cody asked, "How'd you get so good at hide and seek?"

"I don't know. I guess I like playing it." I answered.

Kato chuckles as well and said, "Well that was fun. Wanna do it again?"

"Yeah."

"This time Musaki, you hide."

"Okay."

"I'll find you this time."

We all started over again and I hid in the bushes, snickering quietly and within 4 minutes, Kato found me on the trees and we started laughing and chasing each other again.

"I'm gonna get you!" I said, laughing.

"Yeah, good luck!"

Soon, we were having fun while my dad and my uncle watched us all having fun. My dad looked at him and said, "Remember those days when we used to play hide-and-seek?"

"Yeah, you always found me after you counted to ten." Mako said.

"Wanna join them?"

"For old times' sake."

Then, they both ran and they joined us as well and we went around the grown-ups and we were all falling down on the ground and laughing with each other. It was so much fun and I gotta say it was the best day of not only my life but ours as well.

Time went by faster and I started doing some kung-fu moves and learned how to play the flute every day and night and with my dad by my side, he was like my teacher for me and he was very supportive of what I learned. I can always learn from him and we have a deep love and respect for each other.

Another year has passed and I turned three years old and I was playing the flute in front of the waterfall. Of course, I grew older, but still feel like a kid regardless. One day, my dad walked towards me and gave me something. He gave me this blue and green bandana with an 'M' in the center of it and said, "Thanks, dad."

"You're welcome, son." he said, with a chuckle.

He then sits down and I asked, "How'd you get into kung-fu anyway?"

"Well, when I was a teenager, my parents sent me over to a faraway place where I can learn kung-fu, so I went to this place called the 'Valley of Peace' where I learned kung-fu by this turtle."

"A turtle does kung-fu?"

"Yes. He also invented it."

"Whoa...what's his name?"

"They call him Master Oogway. He actually knows your grandfather. So, the first time, it was all happening so fast and I never knew what it expected to be, but once I understood what he taught me, it made me realize to be the best I can be and I have to find excellence within myself. I never knew I had it in me and it was Oogway that helped me see that. I came back home one day feeling like my life has changed completely. It became apparent that I was to teach the entire realm of this valley to leave in peace and harmony. So, I will tell you the same thing Master Oogway said to me...Always remember that when you find the strength for excellence, your heart will follow you into greatness. You just have to find it within yourself."

"Well, where do I find it within myself?"

He pointed to my chest and I touched it and asked, "What am I feeling?"

"Your heart, Xing-Fu. Whatever you do or wherever you will go, always follow your heart."

I smiled at him and said, "I will, dad."

Later on, my dad gave me something that surprised me-my own flute. I gasped in shock when I saw it and I asked, "For me?"

"Yes. I decided to make a flute for you and that if you have any feelings whatsoever, let it all out with this flute. Use it proudly. You deserve it."

I began playing it and my dad was there to listen to me and see how I did with it. I can tell from his smile that I have been taught well. When I stopped, my dad looked very happy and said, "I have taught you well, my son."

Then, I showed him my kung-fu moves that I have practiced and he became very impressed as well. He smiles and then, put his knuckle on my hand and took a bow. I did the same because I knew it was a sign of respect.

That night, he gave me a last lesson, play the flute on the moon. As I started playing, we heard some wolves howling as well. Turns out it was Shin Hai and his family as they came in our cave. The more I played, the more they joined in. When I got done, Shin Hai looked at me and said, "You got skills, kid."

"Thanks."

He smiled at me and then I noticed that there was an 'M' at the end of it and I asked my dad, "Is that mine?"

"Yes, Xing-Fu. It is yours. Your mother put in the 'M' so tht you'll always have it with you."

"Thanks, dad."

Then, my mother came by and I ran up to her and gave her a big hug and I said, "Thank you, mom."

"You're quite welcome, my little Musaki."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Awww, that's so sweet!<p>

Musaki: (sighs): I will never forget that moment.

Animation Universe 2005: Okay, so far we had some crazy reviews and thank you guys for it!

Musaki: (seeing the review count): Wow. That's a lot! They liked it that much? Awesome...

Animation Universe 2005: All right, stick around for the next one because I know you'll ask me what's gonna happen with Musaki's parents. At the end of the next chapter, there will be a cliffhanger with an appearance from...you'll just have to find out.

Musaki: (heart sank): I think I know what you're talking about. I need some noodles. Po! Can you fix me up some noodles, please?

Animation Universe 2005: (sighs, face palm): He's my character. What are you gonna do? By the way, I'm gonna leave for camp soon so I won't be around to continue posting the story until I come back on Saturday. So until then, see ya'll laterz!


	8. Rainbow Canyon

Hey, my creator's back from camp so I know he's gonna post this story. Well, I'm kinda anxious to tell you all about this because this was set a day before my parents were dead. This is set as the last day I ever spent time with my parents before the next day they were...(swallows hard)...dead. I can explain how it all went down in my own detail. (shaking sigh) I need some support here.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Rainbow Canyon<p>

Weeks later, my father decided to head over to another part in Shanghai Secluded Valley to see some rainbows come out. So, he told me and my mother to head over to a special place that we were to endure.

As we left the cave, I asked my dad, "Where are we going?"

"It's something really special, Xing-Fu. Something you have never seen before." my dad said.

"It's a surprise." my mom said.

I started to take a liking to some surprises and when we got there, I saw the waterfalls surrounded by some beautiful hills all seen in a huge cave. I looked out and I said, "Wow...this is beautiful."

My dad went behind me and said, "My father used to take me places like this and I just thought that my son will see this too and pass this on for generations."

"Sakamoto, it's beautiful out here." my mother said.

"If you look closer after the rain, you can see the rainbow surrounding the waterfalls."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Did you say 'rain'?" I asked.

"Yes, rain. Don't worry, not all rain is scary. Sometimes, it's very gentle."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

Eventually, some rain came by and we stayed in the cave just watching the beauty of it. I never seem to realize that I can see anything beautiful when it rains. I always thought that they might be scary, but not all of it. I looked at my dad with a smile and I know for a fact that everything was gonna be okay, rain or shine.

My dad looked at me and said, "Xing-Fu...doesn't it look beautiful?"

"Yeah, it does...for a little rain."

"Of course."

Later, the rain stops and the sun comes out and my dad went outside, just to see the rainbow come out and I followed him to see it for myself and then...it came.

I saw the rainbow near the waterfalls and I was in amazement. My mother came behind me and she witnessed it as well. We all watched in total awe and the rainbow started to fade away. I looked at my dad and asked, "Where did it go?"

We followed him from behind as we saw some more rainbows in the waterfalls and it really surprised me to see how beautiful and pretty everything looked. I smiled and said, "I've never seen anything like this before."

"It gets better. At night, when the moon is full, you can see millions of falling stars coming as you reach the top of the cave."

I let out a huge gasp and my eyes widened with excitement and said, "That's cool."

"Let us wait until after sunset."

The sun set down and I was ecstatic to even see the falling stars come out of the sky for the first time. As night came, me and my dad went to the top of the cave with my mother and I saw the first falling star flying through the sky and it was the best thing I've even seen in my life. My dad and my mom looked in deep excitement and it didn't surprise my dad when he saw it, knowing that he had his family there was the best thing he's ever done before.

As we watched the stars go by, I told my dad, "I hope this will never end."

"Me too, son."

"We'll always be together, right?"

"Of course we will. Just remember, we're here to guide you."

I nodded my head and we al watched the stars fly out of the sky and it became the best night of my life so far. Hours later, we all fell asleep in the cave together and I was next to my dad knowing that we had a bond strong than ever before and hopefully, it'll never be broken.

It was early in the next morning as we were all still asleep in the cave and suddenly, my dad had a strong sense that someone unexpected is coming. He woke up and quietly got up to see where it came from. Knowing that I laid on top of him, he gently placed me down near my mother and patted me silently before he walks off.

As he came out, he looked around the mountains, trying to figure out who was there. Before he even turned around for a second, what met his eyes was a fierce snow leopard coming in front of him. He saw his fierce orange eyes and he said, "Who are you?"

He didn't respond, but he just stood there and smirked at him and said, "I've been watching you for some time now and I came here... to kill your whole family."

My dad looked at him and said, "Whoever you are, you're not getting anywhere near my family so if you know what's good for you...get out now."

He then pushed my father hard to the wall and got in his face and growled, "Not until your whole family will die!"

My father never expected someone like him with so much power and fierceness to push him that hard. He puts up his sword and asked, "What are you?"

The snow leopard growled and only said, "They call me...Tai Lung."

* * *

><p>Musaki: (covering his eyes): That was so scary!<p>

Animation Universe 2005: Well, I'm gonna leave this with a cliffhanger.

Musaki: Why?

Animation Universe 2005: So I can leave readers wanting more. Duh! Now that I'm back, I can celebrate fourth of July weekend.

Musaki: Oh..okay.

Animation Universe 2005: So...have an awesome 4th of July weekend!

Both: Bye, guys!


	9. A Big Tragedy

Well...this is it. The one day that scarred me when I was three. It was known as 'the worst, painful day of my life.'

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: A Big Tragedy<p>

Soon, the sounds of a fight woke my mother up and she quietly got up and wants to find out what's happening, because she knows my dad might be in trouble. I woke up as well and I saw my mom leave and I quietly asked, "Where you going, mama? Where's papa?"

She knew that something serious was happening and she told me, "I have to find out what's happening. You stay here, okay?"

"Okay."

Meanwhile, my dad was getting attacked at every single ounce he can try to beat Tai Lung down. He had fighting skills that were unstoppable to beat out with and my dad-as strong as he was-never knew how strong he could actually be. He got punched, kicked and taken down in so many various spars for unknown reasons. He then grabbed my dad by the neck and slammed him against the wall and yells out, "You don't know who you are dealing with! I'm gonna kill every single one of you...including your son! I will make sure that he doesn't live!"

My dad was willing not to let anything happen to us, so had enough strength to push him hard and exclaimed, "You stay away from us and you will not get anywhere near my son! Not when I'm around!"

"Who says? You are not the boss of me! Besides, I am unstoppable! You cannot escape my wrath!"

"You don't know who **_you_** are dealing with! If you think you're gonna kill my son, you're gonna have get through me! Because no one-not even your own kind-will have the means and the ability to bring harm into our family!"

"Your family? Your family will die and you will surffer!"

"Watch it. We don't even know who you are!"

He chuckled maliciously and said, "But you will. Now you will seek death in the eye!"

He goes over to punch my dad, but he brought in enough strength to take him down with his kung-fu skills. He kicked, punched and slapped him all over the place, but somehow-unexpectedly-it wasn't enough. Nothing fazed him. My dad looked shocked and said, "Impossible! How did you even manage to even-"

"Well, it looks like your kung-fu has no effect on me." Tai Lung said.

Suddenly, my mother slowly comes in and sees my dad being beaten down and shoved to the ground in horror. My dad groans in pain, then gets up and looks up at my mom with a bloody face and she asked, "Sakamoto, what's going on?"

"Run, my sweet." he said, softly.

Tai Lung looks over and sees her face, which made her back off softly. He smiles evilly and asked, "Is this your wife?"

She didn't know who he was or where he came from and she asked, fearfully, "Who are you?"

"Your worst nightmare."

"Get away from my wife, beast!" my dad exclaimed.

He growls and then she takes off running, leaving Tai Lung with enough force to take her down. He stops her dead in her tracks and he said, "You have nowhere to go."

"Please...leave me alone!"

He comes in and punches her in the face and shoves her down on the ground. She was scared for her life and I even heard her coming from the cave. I took a little peek and saw some stranger hurting my mom. It was scary for me to watch and I was worried about what might happen if he saw me, but worst of all, I was scared about what he'll do to my mom.

I let out a small squeak, which caught his attention. I knew he heard me when he saw my face and I crouched back into the cave to find a hiding place while he attempts to walk through the mountain and heads inside the cave and sees me hiding somewhere. Somehow, my little tail gave it away and he chuckled evilly and grabs it. Not only that, he furiously picked me up by the leg and I was so scared, I didn't know what to do.

I asked him fearfully, "Who are you?"

"I am...Tai Lung. And you...will have your last day on this earth!"

"YOU LEAVE MY SON ALONE!"

My dad came back and he was very angry when he saw me being apprehended by Tai Lung. My mother saw this and she said, "Put our son down, please!"

He chuckled evilly and said, "Not an option. Your son will be gone."

"What has he ever done to you?"

"None of your business!"

"Put me down!" I cried.

"Shut up, you little ragamuffin!" Tai Lung shouted and then he slapped me in the face, hard.

That was the straw that broke my dad's back, so he brought in his hammer and beaten him down. Tai Lung lets go of me and my mom quickly saved me as she wrapped around me in her arms. She looked at me and asked, "Are you okay, little Musaki?"

"I think so." he replied.

"Go! Find a place where he can't hurt our son!" my dad yelled out.

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me! I can handle this beast! Now go!"

She did what my dad said, so she ran off with me as she tried to find a place to hide me from that monster. Then, I saw Tai Lung coming behind us and I was really scared and I covered my eyes and started crying. She petted me and then, we went around another cave where it was dark and scary. We walked slowly, hopefully to find a hidden area to get away from Tai Lung.

I was too scared of the dark and I was worried about what'll happen to my dad. I looked at my mom and asked, "Where's dad?"

"He's coming."

"But when?"

"He'll be here, little one."

Suddenly, we hear a slight noise come out of nowhere and it scared both of us. I started whimpering in fear and hid on my mom's arms. She comforted me and said, "It'll be okay, Musaki."

A couple of seconds later, we hear footsteps come in and thought it would be that monster, but as soon as my mom turned around, we found that it was dad. He whispered, "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine." my mom replied.

My dad sighed in relief and said, "I'm glad."

"You?"

"He got me, but I managed to hold him off. He'll think twice before he plans to hurt our son...and us. I'll do whatever it takes for us to escape from his grasp."

I saw my dad and his face was covered in blood. It was pure horror for me to see this. My dad looked at me and said, "Xing-Fu...I'm so glad to see you're still alive."

We hugged each other and all of us hugged together and my parents looked at each other and they have plenty of hope that we will get out of this. My dad got up and walked around a bit and then he turned to us and said, "I'm gonna go around the cave and see if we can find a way out."

"Be careful, Sakamoto." my mom said, worriedly.

"I'll be back, I promise."

He walks around the parts of the cave, but tried to be quiet to not give ourselves away. He slowly pops up and plans to find an opening to escape Tai Lung's wrath, but he was unaware that Tai Lung was crawling through the top of the rocks and he spotted him on the spot. Suddenly, my dad heard a noise out of nowhere and sees a few pebbles falling down to the ground and he slowly looks up and sees those orange eyes come out. That's when he knew that his presence is near. My dad backed away slowly to get away from him, but Tai Lung got him right where he wanted him. He lets out an evil chuckle, falls down, lands on his feet, growls at him and said, "Escape is futile."

My dad was caught and suddenly, he lunged at him, letting out a huge scream. I was definitely scared and my mom looked in horror as Tai Lung attempted to kill my father. She set me down and she hugged me deeply and said, "I gotta help your father. I'll be back, little Musaki."

"Hurry!" I exclaimed.

She went over from behind and threw a big rock at his back and exclaimed, "That's for hurting my husband, you filthy thing!"

Then, both of them ran for their lives and tried to come back for me, but they were stopped by him and exclaimed, "You're not going anywhere until I get that kid!"

"You will do nothing of the kind!" my father exclaimed.

He sees me shaking in fear and then turned back to my dad with a smirk on his face and said, "Watch me."

He tries to grab me, but I backed away from him and I exclaimed, "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to DIE!" Tai Lung roared, as he tries to scar me.

Looking at his orange evil eyes, it really scared me. As soon as he tried to kill me, my dad went in and stomped on his tail. He yells out in pain and my dad went and put me in a place where I could be safe. He quickly said, "Stay here, okay? We'll come back for you."

He runs off and then, gets punched in the face by Tai Lung and then, my mom comes in to save him, but he struck a blow to face. They both stood up and tried to fight him together, but Tai Lung grabbed them and punched both of them hard and he violently shoved them down on the deepest cliff and they held on to each other while my dad held on to a boulder.

"Sakamoto!" my mother screamed.

"I won't let you go!" my father exclaimed.

Tai Lung came in and put his foot on my dad's hand and my dad said, "Please...don't do this."

He looked at them and said, "No one can save you now."

Then, he stamped his feet, which in turn caused them to fall down. I helplessly heard them scream and I was horrified. I quickly ran out and I looked down and I didn't see them anywhere. I didn't know if they would still be alive or if they didn't make it. My eyes were welled up with tears because I was scared to think of something horrible happening.

I sat down in that boulder, feeling so helpless and called out my parents. I tried again, but there was no one there, which scared me. I was shaking so deeply that I fell down to my knees and felt like I could've done something to save them. I crawled out and looked at that big drop where my parents fell down and I tried calling them again so they can hear me.

"Mama! Papa! Can you hear me?"

No one can hear me. I just sat on the ground and the tears start falling down on my eyes and suddenly, I heard some footsteps come out of nowhere and that's when I knew that it was Tai Lung.

"There is no one there. Your parents are dead. Now it's time for you...to die!"

I turned around and I saw Tai Lung coming in towards me and plans to kill me too. I tried to run, but he grabs me by the leg and throws me towards the walls and I fell down to the ground. Then he raises his claws to scar me, but he soon got tackled by some other people. I backed away and just ran back, but someone tried to stop me.

"Hey, kid. It's okay. We're here."

Suddenly, I looked up and there was a rhino guard coming in to comfort me. I saw some others taking Tai Lung away in cuffs and the rhino guard asked me, "What are you doing here all alone? Do you have any parents?"

I was so shaken by everything that happened that I didn't even know what went on. I then went ahead to find my parents and as soon as I got there on my own, my eyes looked up in deep horror-seeing both of them laying there, lifeless. I walked slowly towards them and I tried to wake them up, but they couldn't wake up.

I was afraid that they might be dead and then, I hear some breathing coming from my dad and he looked at me and said, "Xing-Fu..."

I looked up and I was worried to see my dad like this. I asked, "Are you okay?"

"Son...promise me that you'll...remember us...if you can't see us." my dad said.

"What do you mean? We're still gonna be together, right?"

"Of course we will...just in spirit. Little Xing-Fu...Tai Lung has killed us. So I hope that you'll be safe and happy. No matter what you do, we will always be proud of you. Just...take care of yourself and don't... forget about-"

He stopped breathing and then, his hand lowered down to the ground and closed his eyes. I wanted to hear the rest of what he said, but it was too late. My eyes were welling up with tears and said, "No, no, no, no, no! Mommy! Daddy! Please wake up! Don't leave me!"

They couldn't respond. That's when I knew-they're both dead. I sat down, curled myself up and started crying. The fact that I saw them die at three years old in my own eyes is very heartbreaking for me. Suddenly, the rain started pouring in and there was thunder and lightning, but I didn't care at all. My parents were gone.

Suddenly, the rhino guard puts his hand on my shoulder and he picked me up and then, looked at my parents and sees that they're both dead.

"Come on, kid. Sorry you had to witness this."

Later, some of the rhino guards were talking while I was sitting on the edge of the mountain, looking really sad and lonely because my parents were killed.

"...the Valley of Peace?"

"You sure?"

"It's the only suggestion."

"What if he has family there?"

They thought about it and decided to ask me about it. One of the rhino guards came to me and said, "Do you have any other family where you're from?"

I couldn't even look at him because I was still depressed and he could tell that this situation really hit me hard. He puts his hand on my shoulder and said, "Don't worry. We will take you somewhere safe."

Later, two pandas came by and they saw what happened and they started talking to the rhino guards about me and they decided to become my part-time caretakers while I'm in the orphange. They came to me and I was kinda scared at first, but they grabbed me by the hand and one said, "Don't worry, kid. You're safe with us."

"I'm Brutus and this is my brother Shakur. Those nice guards will take you somewhere nice and safe and that no one will hurt you, okay?"

I nodded my head in sadness and the rhino guards picked me up as we went on. Brutus sighed heavily and said, "Poor kid."

"Yeah, must've been hard for him to witness something like that."

So, I went on the back of the crate and after that, they took me out of Rainbow Canyon. I just sat there, crying...crying in deep painful anguish because my parents are dead. It was the first time I ever experienced death before and it's like my life was falling apart already. My parents meant everything to me and now they're gone. Sometimes, I felt like this was all a bad dream that I wanna get out of, but it's not a bad dream-even though it feels like it. It's real and it hurt me deeply.

Later, my Uncle Mako frantically ran towards the canyon to find my parents after findong out that they might be in trouble, but when he got there, he saw some guard rhinos coming in and he asked, "What's going on here?"

"There was a murder scene in that cave."

"Oh no, that's terrible. Who was killed?"

"Guys, the two pandas I found-one of them is Oak Sung's son!"

Mako's heart sunk deeply when he mentioned my dad's name and he wished it was another panda. Any panda except my dad. He looked very petrified and asked, "Is his name Sakamoto Akio-Meng?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"That's my brother!"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but...your brother's dead."

It shook Mako deeply and he gets down on his knees and he was in disbelief. He lowered his head down with emotional pain and looked at them with tears in his eyes and asked, "Who else?"

"His wife."

He lowered his head down again after hearing my mom died and he just felt like it was all a nightmare and that he wished he woke up and see that they're okay, but one look at my dad's deceased body and he knew-that it was real. He broke down crying softly and covered his face to avoid someone seeing him tear up. Then, he looks up at the rhino guard and asked, "Did anyone else survive?"

"There was one kid that survived. He was identified as Musaki Meng."

Mako sighed in relief when he found out I was still alive. He asked, "Where is he now?"

"He's on his way to the orphanage in the Valley of Peace."

"They're putting my nephew in the orphanage?"

"Your nephew?"

"Yes."

Soon, Shin Hai frantically came in and looked extremely worried and said, "I got here as soon as I could! Where's Sakamoto?"

"Shin Hai..."

Mako looked at him as he puts his hand on his shoulder in deep sorrow, lowered his head then faced him and said, tearfully, "It's too late."

Shin Hai's heart sunk deep and his eyes welled up with tears, then covered his face and asked, "Are you saying...my best friend...is dead?"

"And his wife too."

Shin Hai shuddered sharply and it hurt him deep inside knowing that he came all the way to save his friend wasn't enough. He stood on the back of the wall, then slid down to the ground and just sat down there just crying and Mako puts his hand on his shoulder and said, "Xing-Fu was the only one that's still alive."

"Why...why would someone do this to my best friend? I told my pack that I should go out and save him, but they told me it's too dangerous. Why couldn't I have rescued him in time? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?"

"Shin Hai! I'm just upset about this as you are." Mako exclaimed.

"Why couldn't I have saved him? He was..he was my best friend!"

Mako gave him a hug as Shin Hai cried on his shoulder and Mako told him, "Shin Hai...there was nothing you could've done. There was nothing that any of us could've done."

Shin Hai felt a huge amount of guilt that he didn't save my parents in time and he sighed deeply in regret and remorse for not being there when it happened. He turned to Mako and said, "He was like the father I never had before, just so full of life, love and always so selfless...and now...now he's gone...along with his wife."

Mako puts his hand on Shin Hai's shoulder and said, "We have one survivor. His son was the only one still living."

He felt like his world was falling apart, but felt a little relieved to hear that I was the only one still alive. Then, he wiped his eyes and asked, "Tell me...Little Xing-Fu's alive? He's the only survivor?"

"Yes. They're taking him to an orphanage now."

"His parents risked their lives to save that little guy, huh?"

"From what I heard, they did."

He felt really sorry for me and tearfully whispered, "Poor little guy. It's a shame that he had to see his parents gone. I wish I could find the beast that did this."

Then, Shin Hai looked at Tai Lung as the rhino guards dragged him with cuffs and that made him angry that he killed my parents. He shouted, "YOU STUPID HEARTLESS MONSTER! HOW DARE YOU KILL MY BEST FRIEND AND GET AWAY WITH IT?"

He wanted to fight him, but my uncle held him and said "It's not worth it! It's not worth it!"

The rhino guard calmed him down and said, "Don't worry. He won't be bothering anyone else anytime soon. So just stay out of this."

Shin Hai eventually calmed down, but still felt angry that he met the killer for the first time and wanted to avenge his best friend. He turned away from Mako and said, "I could've stopped this before my best friend died."

"I know. But like I said, there was nothing we could've done."

Shin Hai was in disarray knowing that my parents were gone and I was sent to an orphanage. It hit hard on both of them when they saw the bodies of my parents come out and see it before their very eyes. Shin Hai got down on his knees and started crying. The death of my father hit Shin Hai really hard. To him, he was everything to him. He then closed his eyes, got down on his knees, let out some choked sobs and tearfully whispered, "I failed you, my friend."

Later on, the entire Shanghai Secluded Valley set up a funeral to honor my parents. Everyone who knew him was there and my grandparents were most definitely shaken up about it. It soon brought the entire village together as the mourned the loss of my mom and dad. My grandfather looked at everyone and said, "Let us take a moment to honor my son and my daughter-in-law, who sadly had their lives taken so senselessly."

All of them bowed down to honor my parents' passing and then, my grandfather announced, "My grandson, Xing-Fu is the only person that's still alive. So until we see him again, let us all remember all the times my son has brighten your days and I know they'll look down on us from heaven with his wife, smiling down on us."

Shin Hai became emotionally broken and he closed his eyes as the tears start coming out of his face, knowing that he can't accept the fact that his best friend was dead. My grandfather said, "Never forget my son's legacy and never forget my grandson, for we know he is alive and he will bring us hope."

They still bowed to them and my grandfather played his flute as everyone honored him in tears, knowing that my father will be missed dearly. Then, Shin Hai and his wolf pack began to howl mournfully for the loss of my parents and they all howled with sorrow, emotional pain, but also with honor. That day for everyone, inclduing me...is described as one big horrific tragedy.

* * *

><p>Musaki: That day...was like a dark day for me.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: I'm sorry you had to be there for that.

Musaki: So was I.

Animation Universe 2005: So, there you have it. Now you know how Musaki's parents got killed and the impact that it had on him was hard for him to swallow. I know you guys feel sorry for him that it happened. So, you might be asking where's Musaki going now?

Musaki: The next chapter is where my depression, hurt and sorrow feelings at the orphanage kicked in. Where those emotional scars and wounds always stayed with me for so long.

Both: And so the story continues...

Animation Universe 2005: Let me know what you think of this chapter. Did it leave you satisfied or whatever? Hit us up some reviews.

Musaki: Happy 4th of July!


	10. At the Orphanage

And here is where my emotional depression for 10 years began...

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: At the Orphanage<p>

Hours later, I was asleep in the carriage with tears still coming out of my eyes because my parents were dead. I think I cried myself to sleep while I was on the carriage. What I never knew was that the rhino guard looked at me and felt really sorry for me. This one guard had somewhat of a soft side after seeing me alone and seeing my parents lay there lifeless. He then went towards me and gently rubbed my head and sat next to me so I wouldn't be alone, but somehow I already feel alone.

One of the rhino guards noticed this and asked, "Attached to this kid, aren't ya?"

"Kinda. This is the first time I ever saw a young kid wandering around seeing two parents dead on the ground. It kinda kills you, you know?"

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like this before."

"The poor kid's so traumatized. I can tell from his face."

"Seems like he connects to you for some reason."

"Trust me, I've seen kids like him, sometimes in worse situations. It makes me think of my own kids, you know? It...it really hits home and I would never imagine something like this happened to my kids."

"You really love kids, right?'

"Yeah. It pains me to see them suffer. I see their faces..and it grabs you by the heart."

"Sometimes, you imagine it happening to your own kids and hope it doesn't happen. We all have families and we do whatever we can to keep them safe."

"Mm-hmm. And have a happy life."

"We'll get to the orphanage soon enough."

Later, I woke up a little and I was still in the cart and I looked around, which caught the guard's attention. He looks at me and asked, "You okay, kid?"

"Where are my mommy and daddy?' I asked.

The rhino guard looked at me and he felt deeply broken about that question and then he said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but...they're-they're, uh..."

"They're dead, aren't they?"

He kept silent about it even though he didn't tell me, but I can tell that he knows it. It just hit me really hard to know that my parents are really dead and I just couldn't do anything but curl myself up in a little ball and start crying again. He puts his hand on my shoulder and calmly said, "It's gonna be okay, kid. That killer that killed your parents won't bother you anymore. We'll take you to a place where you can have a new family, okay?"

I looked at his eyes and those were the same blue eyes as my dad. I didn't know if I could trust him, but I felt I want to so my tears fell down on my face and I said, "Okay."

Then, we managed to get to the Valley of Peace and it was much different than what I saw. It was kinda different from my home because all I saw were ducks, rabbits and pigs to different animals and yet...there's no one there that looks like me. It made me sad to think that I am the only panda here. I lowered my head down knowing that my parents are dead and that they're not coming back just felt like something stabbed me in the back.

We stopped. I didn't know where we were and then one of the guards said to me, "We're here at the Bao Gu Orphanage."

I was nervous and kinda scared to go in with them, but the rhino guard assured me that everything will be fine and I got out of the cart and they covered me with a blanket so I wouldn't get wet and they came to the door and knocked on it. Suddenly, they see the caretaker open the door and she asked, "May I help you?"

"Ma'am, we're the rhino guards from Chor-Gom Prison. We were sent in to find a prisoner that escaped while we weren't looking. While doing that, we brought in an orphan young panda from far away."

They then took me in and she looked at me and saw me really depressed and she comforted me and said, "Don't worry, little one. I will take care of you until a family takes care of you."

She brought them in and she served them some tea while I sat down in a corner with my head lowering down. The caretaker looked at me and she asked, "What happened?"

"We found out that our prisoner-Tai Lung-has escaped from our prison and headed towards the Rainbow Canyon where he slaughtered this kid's parents."

She gasped in shock and said, "Oh my! That's horrible!"

"Yes it was."

"Does this kid have a name?"

"Musaki Meng."

"How old is he?"

"About 3."

"That's terrible."

"Yes. Both of his parents died just a few hours ago and he's been taking it hard. So we just thought him living in the Valley of Peace can help gain some peace until he goes adopted."

"I will do my best to keep him happy."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The rhino guard stands up, heads to the corner and stands in front of me and said, "You'll be safe here. I promise you no one's gonna hurt you."

I slowly looked up and there were some tears coming out of my face and he wiped them off and I said, "Are you sure?"

"Positive, kid. Hopefully, you will be happy here."

He then gave me a hug and then he left along with the other rhino guards. He looks back and said, "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're very welcome. He's in very good hands."

"And miss...my name is Shakur and this is my brother Brutus. We kinda saw what had happened with the kid's parents and after the rhino guards told us everything, we felt like we should help out a little. Just be part-time guardians before anyone adopts him."

"I would like that very much."

"We'll be checking in on him every chance we get to see how he's holding up."

"Thank you both."

As soon as they left, the sadness keeps kicking in as the caretaker comes in and comforts me with a hug. She said, "There are million of kids just like you here that are waiting for a family."

"But...they're not the same as I am."

"That is true, but I guarantee you that they'll like you."

I wasn't sure about how I'll adapt to life in the orphanage, but I can try at least. She takes me over to a room where all the children sleep and I went in my bed and kinda stayed there for a while. I couldn't come to terms to accept the fact that my parents are dead and that I may never see them again. Soon after, some other kids came around and they looked at me for the first time and I could tell that they've never seen a panda before.

What came next was that most of them were making fun of me for the way I am, because I'm not like other pandas, because I'm thin.

"Aren't all pandas fat or something? This kid is not one of them!"

"You're the new kid? Like anyone will adopt a freak like you!"

"You shouldn't even be here!"

All of them were laughing at me and I felt mortified that this is what I'm gonna be dealing with for so long. The caretaker heard everything and scolded them to not make fun of me, but even that wouldn't help as they continued to do it again.

Over the next few days since I've been here, the taunting grows worse and worse as they shout hurtful things about me and they even threw some food on me. It just made me feel destroyed inside of me and I just couldn't take it anymore, so I ran out of the room and headed to another part of the hallway and stopped in a wall and I sat there and started crying.

The caretaker-Ms. Faye-went looking for me and she saw me crying in the hallway alone. She came over to me and she told me, "I saw what happened."

"Why are they being so mean to me?" I asked, tearfully.

"I don't know, dear."

"Is it because I'm different?"

"No. They just don't know any better."

She could see that dealing with the loss of my parents is hard to get over and knowing that I can't face these kids again because they won't stop teasing me. She then took me to a one room away from the kids, where there's one bed and it kinda looks a little messy, but at least it's away from everyone.

I got on the bed and I sat down for a second, wanting some alone time. She left the room and I laid down on the bed, just crying and for a long time, that's all I could do...just cry out of loneliness and pain.

"How could you leave me? Why did you have to go and leave me here all alone?" I asked, tearfully with one tear streaming out of my face.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Wow, so this is where it begins, huh?<p>

Musaki: Yep. What comes next is my first night and it kicks in that me sleeping alone without my parents is damaging.

Animation Universe 2005: The next chapter will make you feel sorry for him. Also, today is July 5th. It's the third anniversary that my character Musaki captured the hearts of my fellow fanfiction friends!

Musaki: Really? Cool! Thank you guys so much for your support within the past three years of my creator's stories of my journey. Stick around for the next chapter!


	11. My Nightmare

My first night in the isolated room at the orphange. Where my nightmare comes in to haunt me while I'm asleep. Here's how it went...

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><p>Chapter 11: My Nightmare<p>

It was my first night in an isolated room in the orphange and I fell asleep. Soon, I hear the voices of that Tai Lung ringing in my head and I started tossing and turning at night as it continues to play in my head.

"No...no...get away from me...leave me alone..."

* * *

><p><em>Nightmare<em>

_It was storming outside and I was running so far away from this monster that's trying to kill me after he killed my parents. A loud growl came from behind me and I turned around and sees that he's gaining closer on me and I kept running as fast as I could._

_After seeing my parents get killed, I didn't know what might happen if I stopped, but no matter what, I wouldn't let him get me. _

_"Come back here, you insignificant little runt!"_

_Tai Lung came from behind me and he tried to grab me, but I kept running and running and I screamed, "What do you want from me?"_

_He kept gaining on me and then he stops and sees nothing behind, in front of or on top of. He snarls maliciously and screams, "Where are you?"_

_I was hiding behind one of the trees, hoping that he wouldn't find me. He walked across one way while I went another way. The thunder rumbles and lightning struck again and I was fearful about this, so I ran a little bit and found myself in a cave. I went in and it was really dark, but at least it kept me out of the rain._

_The fact that I was all alone really killed me and that there was something I could've done to prevent this from happening so I wouldn't feel like this anymore, but it didn't happen. All I could do is just curl myself down and cry. What I didn't know is that I heard someone snarl from behind and I shuddered to even think who it was._

_I slowly turned around and saw those orange eyes staring at me. I gasped in horror as Tai Lung came out and lunged at me. I tried to run away, but he grabbed me by the leg and dragged me to him where I got beaten, bruised, punched, kicked, slapped and thrown across the cave._

_I fell down on the ground, beaten up and bloodied. Then, he came towards me and I backed away slowly, just scared about what will happen. I begged him, "Please leave me alone!"_

_He grabbed me by the throat and said, "Your parents have abandoned you! They didn't even want you!"_

_"You're lying!"_

_That made him even more angry and he went and just threw me down and kicked me in the face, whcih then I fell down in the deepest part of the cave and then..._

* * *

><p>Reality<p>

I woke up screaming in fear and I was so shaken over this and I looked around and saw that I'm back in my isolated room. I laid down and thought, 'Was this all a dream?'

I went back to sleep, but I saw those orange eyes staring at me and I woke up again, knowing that if I went back to sleep, Tai Lung would inflict harm on me and that I would have more nightmares about him. So I stayed awake all night long just so I wouldn't sleep at all, hoping that this dream might go away.

Morning comes and my eyes were drooping, but I wanted to keep awake because I didn't want to see Tai Lung's scary eyes. I was so tired, but I didn't care about it. My eyes grew heavier and heavier and I fell asleep a little bit. That also explains that I miss my parents very much and I don't want to face that monster again.

Mrs. Faye came to my room and sees me looking tired and knew that I didn't sleep all night and she whispered, "Poor thing. Were you up all night?"

I groaned heavily and said, "Mm-hmm."

"What is wrong?"

"I don't wanna sleep anymore because...I'm scared that the monster might come and get me."

She hugged me tightly and said, "No one's gonna hurt you. I can promise you that."

"I don't think I'll ever sleep again."

She couldn't stand to see me like this and she told me, "Don't worry. That monster will not come for you."

I then went to sleep, but I still miss them terribly and I let one tear fall out of my face and she patted my head and said, "I hope a family will give this person some comfort."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: I didn't know you didn't want to go to sleep because Tai Lung might be in your nightmares again.<p>

Musaki: What do you expect? Like I said, there's a lot of things about me that you don't even know.

Animation Universe 2005: Sorry you had to go through that.

Musaki: It's fine.

Animation Universe 2005: Give this guy some comfort here. We've got plenty more heading your way.

Musaki: Stick around as the saga of my emotional scars continues...


	12. Bullying at the Orphanage

We move on to when I was five and at the orphanage, I was an easy target for bullies, which always seems to emotionally aggravate me because I was still grieving. I was a bully victim and being a bully victim sucks.

* * *

><p>Chapter 12: Bullying at the Orphanage<p>

Two years has passed by since my parents death and I still feel the hurt deep down inside of me while I was at the orphanage. As time grew on, I started to feel more and more lonely than anything because my parents were gone. At times, it felt like I was stuck in ths bad dream that I could never wake up to. It was like nothing could help me ease my emotional pain that I'm in. 5 years of age and I still feel emotionally broken over what happened and I spent those years in my isolated room, where I always find myself alone.

The caretaker started to worry about me because I never come out much in two years. I didn't care much because no one understand me at all, not even the other orphans can understand my emotional scars.

She passes by my room and stops in to see if I was okay. I never turned around to face her because the hurt grew deeper and deeper than anything.

When I do get out of my room however, I always look at the other kids and see them just playing around, but I was always the outcast because no one would play with a panda like me. It's like I'm different from the others and I became an easy target for bullies around here.

One such person threw a ball on my head and one taunted, "I thought a panda would be big, not small!"

They were all laughing at me because of the way I am. I didn't understand why would they do that. Then, another one comes at me and said, "You shouldn't even be here! No family in the Valley of Peace will ever adopt someone like you!"

I realize that I am the target of their bullying and when I ran away, the teasing intensified and they start throwing things at me. Then, one such bully-an ox- came in front of me and they came around and chased me down. When I tried to get away, they grabbed me by the ankle and just beat me up. I started screaming loudly as the rest of the gang were egging him on and laughing as I suffered by their bullying.

"Let me go!" I exclaimed, sobbing.

"Shut up, yoou stupid little crybaby!" the bully shouted.

I tried to break free but he kept pulling my leg harder and harder and then, I attempted to escape from them and continued running. I ran as fast as I could and then I stopped and stood on the doors and to my surprise, some more kids continued to tease me again as they pointed and laughed at me.

I didn't know what they were laughing at this time, but one said, "I guess some pandas can't hold on to their water!"

It didn't take long for me to realize that I looked down and I saw that I wet myself and it ended up on the ground. I was so scared and embarassed at the same time while the others were laughing at me. I backed myself away as my tears start coming out of my eyes and I just ran back to my room crying.

I went into the hallways, away from the bullying and all the noise, but the voices of them just kept surrounding my head and it couldn't get out fast enough.

'I thought pandas are fat, not skinny!'

'Skinny Panda!'

'You shouldn't even belong here!'

'No family will adopt a freak like you!'

'This orphanage would be better off without you!'

'Well, I guess some pandas can't hold their water!'

My feelings were broken and I couldn't even make it into my room. As I was walking, I got down on my knees and started crying in the hallway. Those bullies really messed me up and there was nothing I could do I about it. It was that moment that it hit me-no one would adopt someone like me for the way I am.

I curled myself up, put my head down and just broke down sobbing. Suddenly, I felt a hand placed gently on my shoulder, but I didn't even look.

"Are you okay?"

I said nothing because I wasn't sure if I could speak or not, but that voice was a female. She kept talking, "I heard what happened earlier. I'm really sorry."

I slowly looked at her with tears rolling down on my face and she wiped my tears and I asked, "Who are you?"

"Shai Mu. You?"

"Musaki. How did you find me?"

"I was walking by and then I heard some laughing and I saw that they were laughing at you and I can tell that you were being bullied by some of the orphans."

I sniffled a few times and I stood up and said, "I don't understand it. Why am I so different?"

"You don't look any different to me."

I figured that she wanted to be my friend, but I wasn't exactly sure how it would be. I looked at her and asked, "Are you saying this because you feel sorry for me?"

She was taken aback by this and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I...I thought that you might... somehow turn against me."

"No, that's not true. I would never do that. Besides, I've been bullied before and I know what that feels like."

I didn't know what to make of it, but I wasn't sure if I can trust her or whatnot because it's been two years since my parents died and it still hurts. I turned to her and said, "Thanks for your concern and I appreciate it, but...I'm just not ready."

"Ready for what?"

I sighed softly and there were more tears coming out of my eyes and replied, "To have a friend."

I walked away and headed back to my room. I know that she was there for me, but I wasn't sure if I can trust anyone anymore. I sat down on the ground near the corner just to turn away from everyone. Then, she opened my door and didn't even bother to turn around. It wasn't that I had anything against her, it was because I had a huge trust issue when it comes to making new friends.

She went to me and gave me a hug and then she left. I sighed heavily and felt like it was gonna stop the emotional pain, but the fact that my parents are gone still kills me. And the bullying-I felt like it'll be neverending.

That's when I realize that I just had to face it-no one will ever adopt someone like me. I didn't want to be a burden to most adopted parents because I miss my real ones so much.

I had no hope at all.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: You've been through it a lot, huh?<p>

Musaki: It still hurts to even talk about it to this day.

Animation Universe 2005: Does it get bad?

Musaki: (sighs heavily): It gets worse. The next chapter will sum it up.

Animation Universe 2005: For anyone who's a bully victim, you're not the only one. The next chapter will show how intense it'll be and how fragile and sensitive Musaki is.

Musaki: And let me tell you, it is like the worst thing that bully does to you and it's definitely a side of me no one ever saw at a young age


	13. More Bullying Grows Worse

And this is where my bullying grows worse. This time, anger seeps inside of me.

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: More Bullying Grows Worse<p>

Another year has passed by and the bullying never stopped. In fact, it grew worse. Most of them threatened my life and just beat me up and try to get me in trouble. They don't even know anything about me and already I've been the target of their constant bullying.

I looked at them and I definitely felt like I was defenseless without a friend to back me up or even defend me. I spend a lot of time confining myself in that isolated room, being away from those people yet they often harass me while I was in the room and it feels like I couldn't even get some space anymore.

I've got stuff thrown at, pranked, and got beaten by every chance they get. That's when I knew that it'll never stop. It's been 3 years since my parents died and already they gave me a hard time while I was still grieving.

Every night, I cry and cry and cry because it never stops every day, from the moment I wake up until the time I go to bed. I couldn't even sleep at times because I get so many nightmares about them trying to harm me and tell me that I shouldn't even live anymore.

It just made me feel like my life would be forever destroyed over this and I always stay behind because I can't deal with it anymore. I've lost my parents 3 years ago and I still don't know how I'll get over this. Why wouldn't they give me a break? How much more can I take?

Then one day, one bully came in and tried to make my life as miserable as ever-a bunny named Toshi. When I first saw him, he was harassing all the ducks and other bunnies while they were playing dominoes. He stepped on their dominoes and let them fall down on thr ground and all Toshi could do was laughing at them and I figured that this will be the worst bully they ever dealt with.

Along with some other bunnies, they would terrorize every orphan with their bullying instinct. Then, he looked at me and he quickly said, "Hey, shouldn't pandas be fat? I don't remember seeing one that's like a stick."

They laughed at me and it was like the straw that broke my back. I grew angrier and more angrier and went up to them and said, "What did you say to me?"

"Shouldn't pandas be fat? Why aren't you one of them?"

"Just leave me alone."

"Why should I? It's fun."

"It's not fun to everyone else."

I couldn't even stand to look at him, so I walked away from him. Then, he kicks me in the back, which caused me to fall in the ground. All they did was laugh at me and Toshi said, "Watch where you're going!"

"You tripped me!" I cried.

"Who's gonna believe you?"

"Yeah, who's gonna believe you?"

"Get this straight, panda! No family will ever adopt someone like you because they don't care about you!"

"I bet your parents even abandoned you!"

That twitched my nerve when I heard them mention about my parents. The fact that he would insult my parents while I was dealing with their death broke me deeply and made me very furious. I slowly turned to them and asked, in a deep angry tone, "What did you say about my parents?"

"You heard me. I bet they didn't even want you!"

Hearing this made me very mad and I was still dealing with my parents' death and I told him, "Take...that...back!"

"No! Your parents are stupid to even give birth to you!"

"Stop it!"

"In fact, your parents must be stupid to even have you as their kid and I'm sure they left you behind so they wouldn't deal with you!"

"Take that back!"

"Never!"

"TAKE IT BACK!"

"MAKE ME! I'm sure they died to get away from you."

I totally lost it and then he did the unthinkable-he spat on my face. He had this huge smirk on his face and said, "Every family hates you! I'm sure even all the families in the valley of peace wish you would die and that the orphanage would be a better place without you and your skinny panda butt! You are nothing...just like your useless parents!"

That was it. I got mad and I wanted to fight him so badly that I grabbed his throat and merely beat him down, but other bunnies beat me down as well and Toshi started fighting me and everyone was rallying up to see who wins.

I couldn't take it anymore and Toshi looks at me in the eye and said, "You will be nothing! You're just a stupid, small, useless panda and that's all you'll ever be!"

Everyone was laughing at me and so was Toshi and his stupid posse. The fact that I was being mocked by those people and said stupid things about my parents really hurt me and it was added to my emotional pain I was in. My tears start filling up and Toshi said, "Are you gonna cry, you little crybaby?"

They started mocking me and making mocking crying noises to make me give in to their wishes, so I did nothing and I just ran away from them and got back to my room and I was pent up with rage, anger and frustration. I just threw everything that was on the ground and on the wall and most of them would break and then I screamed at the top of my lungs to let it all loose.

After that, I got down on my knees and resumed crying uncontrollably. My feelings are very hurt and now they've been destroyed by Toshi. Then, Ms. Fay quietly came in the room and saw me breaking down in tears yet again and she said, "I saw everything."

I looked up at her and I said, "No family will adopt someone like me..."

"Shh. Yes, they will. Don't listen to what they say. Someone will adopt you. You just have to give it a chance."

She gave me a hug and I can tell she's worried about me again. When she left, I saw a mirror and I looked at myself and I hear these taunting voices come out of my head and it brought me down; knowing that no one has ever seen a panda before.

I sighed sadly and let a tear fall down on my eye and I said, tearfully, "No one will adopt me. I'm worthless. I'm usless, but most of all...I'm ugly."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: I never knew how serious it was. The fact that that Toshi dude said some nasty things about your parents...that's a low blow.<p>

Musaki: Yeah, I'm still dealing with the loss and he had the nerve to just insult them.

Animation Universe 2005: You were gonna fight him, were you?

Musaki: He shouldn't even exist!

Animation Universe 2005: As you can see, being a bully victim is very difficult. It's one thing to be bullied, but to have someone call your parents out, they went too far.

Musaki: Being a victim of bullies sucks. But the stupidest thing-I convinced myself that I was ugly. Bullies can be so cruel.

Animation Universe 2005: If anyone has some heartfelt words for Musaki, please give him some while you review. Will it get better for him? Don't know, but you'll have to find out.


	14. Learning on my Own

Here's how I learned how to do everything on my own...at a young age.

* * *

><p>Chapter 14: Learning on my Own<p>

Later on, it hit me that the pain of my parents gone isn't gonna go away soon and it's like nothing really matters anymore. It's like...I'm forgetting everything about what my life used to be before my parents died and it feels like my life is just falling apart.

I sighed heavily and lowered my head down in deep despair just listening to those voices of half of the orphans teasing me earlier. Those kinds of things really hit me harder than ever. I went to my bed and just sat there for a while and I felt something in my pillow and when I pulled it out, it was a flute. I didn't know who gave it to me, but then I quickly remembered that my father made it for me and a few things I remember was learning how to play it.

I started playing a few notes and then I let every single ounce of emotions come out. All the pain, frustration, guilt and depression I had just flew out of me. I then remembered a few things my dad taught me and as I started playing, it's like I never forgot about what he has taught me.

As the months went by, I started doing everything on my own-reading, learning new words, practicing the flute and most times fed myself. As I think about it, every single time I go out of my room, Toshi would come by and harass me so bad. He came over to me and just pushed me down on the ground hard and he stood there laughing manically and he got on top of me with his little bunny friends.

I was extremely fed up with his constant bullying and I walked away from them but Toshi refused to stop taunting me and said, "What's the matter, you don't wanna fight?"

Meanwhile, I was feeling very broken inside due to the fact that I was still grieving and those kinds of feelings at a young age seems to scar me. During that time, I was able to start writing because I felt like there were some things that I need to release everything that was stuck inside of me for so long. It also prompted me to a point where I play my flute and then write songs of my own, just to release those feelings even though the wounds are still in me.

Then, every night, I go up to the roof of the orphanage with my flute and as the full moon shines, I start playing my flute. I played it because I liked the feeling that no one else is around to bother me at all and it feels like I'm making my own lullaby. Then, I tried to remember what kind of lullaby my parents used to sing to me when I was a cub, so I started playing a few notes and those were some that I knew. Everything else, I don't quite remember much about it after my parents' death, which still bothers me to the biggest extent.

Later, I went back to my room and I fell asleep, which I never do because of my nightmares with Tai Lung and the bullies. The caretaker always tells me it will get better, but does it get better? Who would accept me because of the way I am?

All these thoughts keep racing through my head, knowing that no one in the entire Valley of Peace would adopt a panda like me. I am different from other pandas because I'm smaller and much thinner than other pandas. Then it hit me...am I the only panda here?

Then, I fell asleep at which point results into yet another nightmare.

* * *

><p><em>I walk around the orphanage and somehow I see several parents come over to adopt some kids and when they saw me, they just looked at all the other orphans. I was somewhat devastated when they ignored me, knowing that they've never seen a panda before.<em>

_Suddenly, all the other parents passed me and most of them were appalled that an orphaned panda is living in the valley of peace, but what was more shocking is that I was small and thin._

_'What is that?'_

_'Is that supposed to be a panda?'_

_'I thought they were bigger.'_

_'I would not adopt someone like that!'_

_'He's a freak!'_

_'He should not be one of us!'_

_'He shouldn't even be in the Valley of Peace!'_

_'If that were one of my kids, I'd throw him out of my house!'_

_'How about throwing him out of our valley?'_

_'Your kind is not welcome here!'_

_'No one will ever adopt someone like you!'_

_Hearing all of these comments made me feel very hurt and broken all at the same time and somehow, it's like I'm not fitting in with everyone else. I ran away from them and I hid myself away from them and all of a sudden, the entire valley chased me down and starts throwing things at me, demanding that I should leave the valley._

_Suddenly, they all went around me and I was engulfed by the darkness of their shadows and then..._

* * *

><p>I woke up screaming again and I was panting heavily, then I looked around and realize that it was all a dream...or a nightmare again. It felt worse than the ones I had before, but nothing like this. Now I'm convinced that no one can adopt me.<p>

Another year comes by and I'm still dealing the loss of my parents' death and played the flute to help deal with my grief. At that time, I was only seven years old and I still feel like everything was hopeless, though I don't look any older at all.

My depression is still there and the chances of being adopted are very slim. Then, I got some water thrown from behind and it was Toshi and two of his friends, just laughing at the water hits the back of my head. I was halfway soaked and Toshi came by and said, "Stop wetting yourself!"

I grew angry, but then I looked at myself in the mirror and I keep hearing those words that Toshi said...

'You're ugly!'

I don't know what's ugly about me, but that hurts my feelings. So I closed my eyes and covered my face as I start crying again.

Everyone was playing outside and I'm stuck in my room just coping with my loneliness. My life is hopeless.

* * *

><p>Musaki: Trying to learn everything while my parents are gone has helped me a little, but it still hurts to know that they're still not here.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: And I bet being bullied isn't helping any, huh?

Musaki: No. I thought that no one would accept me for me and think that a panda shouldn't be adopted by another species.

Animation Universe 2005: I'm sorry.

Musaki: It's okay now.

Animation Universe 2005: Well, stick around guys. I know you'll ask me this question-will Musaki ever have a friend? Well, when I post the next chapter, I'll let it speak for itself.

Musaki: Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate your support!


	15. Finding a New Friend

Just when I thought that life has no meaning and my loneliness will be permanent, I suddenly find myself getting something I never wanted-a friend.

* * *

><p>Chapter 15: Finding A New Friend<p>

It was a rainy day at the orphanage and I was looking at the window where it was raining. The sound of the rain has added to my depression and my emotional pain. Not ever learning some things on my own isn't enough to deal with my loneliness. I'm only seven and already more depression and hurt keeps coming in because I can't get rid of the memory of watching my parents die out of my head.

I walked around the hallway and suddenly, I hear thunder come out of nowhere and the lightning strikes harder and I grew frightened. I hid in several places in hte hallway and hoped that it would stop. But it didn't.

The thunder grew louder and louder and I was definitely more scared than ever. I was shaking terribly and I wanted to go back to my room, but the sounds of the thunder prevented me from doing that. The fear suddenly came back and this time, I broke down crying.

Not long after that, some footsteps came by the hallway and I didn't want to look because I was too scared to look at the thunderstorm. And I felt someone touching my shoulder and asking me, "Are you okay?"

I couldn't look up and then the sounds of the thunder struck again and I was whimpering softly and suddenly, I got hugged by someone. I opened my eyes and then I saw a person hugging me and I didn't even know what to make of it.

Then I looked at him-he was a snow leopard-like Tai Lung, but he wasn't menacing or anything like him. He was nice. He was pretty much the same age as me and I asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Miko. What's yours?"

"M-Musaki." I replied.

"Why are you out here all alone?"

I stood there silent and I wasn't sure if I could tell him everything or if I would want him to be my friend. He looked at me and asked, "What's wrong?"

I sighed sadly and then replied, "I don't know..."

"Hey, you can tell me."

Then, he puts his hand on my shoulder, but it wasn't a strong and a hard grip. It was just...gentle. Then I looked at his eyes and realized that there wasn't anything to be afraid of anymore, so I explained to him everything, about my parents' death and my loneliness that has impacted me deeply in the orphanage. Miko was very understanding about everything that said and he puts his hand on my shoulder for comfort.

"Whoa...I'm sorry about the loss of your parents." Miko said.

"Yeah, I know. I could've done something to stop the person who killed my parents."

"And you watched them die?"

"At three years old."

Miko sighed heavily and I knew he felt sorry for me and said, "Man, I can't imagine watching them die at that age."

"It's horrible."

"Well, my mom died when I was a baby and I've been abused by my dad. It was so bad. Then, sometime when I was four, he gave me up and put me here. I didn't know why and I knew it wasn't my fault, but sometimes..."

He stops himself for a minute and I can see that he's trying to fight back the tears, but I knew that he couldn't keep them from falling down from his face. He sniffled a few times and continued, with a tearful voice, "...sometimes I felt like did I do something wrong to make him hurt me? I keep asking myself what did I do wrong? That's something I can't get myself out of and at times, I feel like it's all my fault because I let this happen."

He started crying and I felt like he really did need a friend and I put my hand on his shoulder and I hugged him tightly. He just broke down crying in my shoulder and I was crying as well and I told him, "I'll be your friend."

Miko looked at me and asked, "You mean, you would be my friend?"

"Yeah. I could use one."

"You wouldn't...run away or anything? Or make fun of me?"

"I would never do that. I never would. Because I've been bullied too."

"You have?"

"Mm-hmm."

Miko blinked and he asked, "How are you?"

"I'm seven. You?"

"Seven."

The thunder keeps booming and I was terrified again but Miko looked at me and said, "I know. Thunder scares me too. I never saw you before. How long have you been here?"

"Four years. You?"

"Three."

"I never thought that someone like you would be nice. I've never seen anyone like you before."

"I've never saw a panda before either. And I hope that that person that killed your parents get what's coming to him. So, have you ever had a friend before?"

I sadly lowered my head and said, "I don't have any friends. I'm kinda scared to."

"Why?"

"Because they might turn against me. Most of them at the orphanage make fun of me because I'm a skinny panda."

"Well, I've been made fun of because of the way I am. It always bother me."

I suddenly realized that we have so much in common. But was I really sure about it? I looked at him and he told me, "I could never hurt anyone. I would never make fun of you. I never would."

He stuck out his hand and I wasn't sure about it and I asked, "What's that for?"

"Shake my hand."

I was kinda nervous about because I have a trust issue, but when I realized that he's had a rough upbringing and everything he's been through, it's like I want to give him a chance. I stuck out my hand as well and we shook hands.

Miko smiled and said, "I hope you get adopted by someone."

"I don't know if that's happening."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, who could adopt someone like me?"

"Anyone could. Just because we're different doesn't mean we can't be accepted for who we are."

What he said just struck me and I knew he was right, but still-I didn't know. But I turned around and told him, "Maybe you're right."

"It will get better."

He walks off and there was this feeling coming out of me. I didn't know what it was and then it hit me-I just made a new friend. My first friend outside of my species.

"Miko..."

The next day comes and once again, I'm sitting in my isolated room still coping with my grief. Then, I heard some fighting going on and as I looked up, I saw Toshi and some other bunnies picking on someone and then, I saw Miko; the one I made friends with during the storm.

I didn't know what would I do. Would I stop him? Would I let someone else stop this? I didn't know what was I gonna be in for, but I know one way-I wasn't gonna let someone get hurt. So I got out of the room, raced up towards the hallway and I went outside and saw this unfold.

Toshi was beating Miko up, grabbing his leg and and the other bunnies punched and kicked his face. It made me that upset and suddenly, I screamed, "STOP IT!"

They aburptly stopped and Toshi scowled at me and asked, "Why'd you stop us?"

"You think it's funny to hurt someone else's feelings? It's stupid that you make fun of me, but others? That's what makes you cool? Well, it doesn't! Think of what they're feeling!"

"Who cares what they feel? He's worthless, just like you! Plus, no one would adopt a monsterous freak like him!"

"You leave my friend alone!"

"Oh, he's your friend? Two freaks are better than one!"

Then, Ms. Faye came in and broke up the fight and she scolded Toshi by saying, "You leave them alone! Why do you always bother the little kids?"

"It's not like they're hurt or anything."

She glared at me and I said, "I only stopped them because...they were beating up my friend."

Hearing that surprised her and she turned to Miko and asked, "Miko, do you know him?"

Miko looked at me and he sees that I stopped the fight and defended him. Everything he said was kept locked in my head and he tearfully said, "Yes. I do. He is my friend."

She looked back at Toshi and said, "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Apologize to him right now."

"Why should we?"

She glared at him with an angrier look and said, "Either apologize or no dinner."

He sighed exasperatedly and said, "Sorry, Miko."

"It's okay." Miko said, in pain.

"Now, you head back to your rooms and I don't want to see you harassing these kids again. They've been through worse things that you."

She then left and Toshi's and his bunnies left, but not before Toshi looks back and said, "This ain't over. If it's the last thing I do, you're gonna wish you hadn't told on us."

They walked off and I let out my hand and asked, "You okay?"

He grabbed my hand and he stood up and then he stared at me and said, "No one has ever done that for me."

"To tell you the truth, it's my first time doing this. Besides, being a bully victim makes me sad. And watching someone you know gets bullied makes me feel worse."

"You've seen that before?"

"I just did."

Miko looks at me and figures out that what he said to me was remembered. He smiled at me and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Suddenly, some other animals came towards us and greeted me and one said, "We saw what happened. It was very brave of you."

"Thanks." I said, hesitantly.

One introduces himself to me and Miko and said, "I'm Seth and this is my brother Ty."

"I'm Miko and this is my friend Musaki."

"I've never seen anyone like you before." Ty said.

"Really?" asked Miko.

"Yeah. I always thought that snow leopards are dangerous like Tai Lung." Seth said.

"Not most of them. I'm gentle. I would never hurt anyone."

"Hey, I'm Sonic. I'm a boar."

"Nice to meet you."

Then there were two more snow leopards coming in and at first I thought they looked like Tai Lung, but as soon as they shook my hand, they weren't as scary as I thought they would be.

"Name's Shanghai. This is my brother Sudoku."

"Hey, how's it going?" Sudoku said.

"I thought I was the only one who looks like me." Miko said.

"So did we until we saw you. Seems like we could be like brothers."

"Thanks...I think."

And then two pandas came forward and I had this feeling that I thought I was the only panda, but I guess not. That made me feel a little hopeful that there was someone who's just like me.

"Hey, I'm Joey. This is my friend, Brian."

I found out that Brian is a little different than me and I looked at him and he said, "I'm a red panda."

I've never actually seen one before and then I said, "I've never seen one before."

"This is my second time seeing a panda. You're kinda like Joey here."

"We saw you stopping those bullies and we thought it took a lot of courage to do this. We've seen him suffer because he's so different from everyone else and we feel the same way as well. We wanted to stop him, but we've been bullied before and we just didn't want to be messed with." Sonic said.

Then, another boar comes in and said, "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Mookie."

Then, he sees us and said, "Hey, you're the guy that saved the person that got bullied. Took a lot of guts."

"Um, thanks."

"Name's Mookie. What's yours?"

"Musaki."

"You?"

"I'm Miko."

"So, you guys are in the orphanage too?" I asked.

"Yeah."

Then, I started telling them about how I got here and my tragedy about my parents. All of them gave me some comfort as we were in the picnic table.

"Wow. Sorry to hear that." Mookie said.

"I bet it was the worst day of your life." Shanghai said.

"It has been and it's been tough on me since. I've been here for four years and it still hurts me."

"Man, at least you had parents. Mine gave me up after I was born." Joey said.

"Why would they do that?" I asked.

"Something about my being born was a mistake. I didn't even do anything wrong and I was so young."

"Both of my parents were dead when I was a year old. They killed themselves because I was too much to handle." Brian said.

"I just got here like 4 months ago. My father left me here and he never came back after that." Mookie said.

"Well, my dad died and my mom didn't even want me and she was...threatening me to kill me. I didn't think she would actually do that until I was 5, when she attempted to. The gorilla guards came and they took me away from her after they saw my cuts and bruises and I've been here ever since." Sonic said.

"That's brutal." Miko said.

"Well, I never knew my parents and I've been living here since I was born." Seth explained.

"Both of our parents didn't want us and we got kicked out of our home and they gave up on us and we got here on our own. They treated us pretty good here." Sudoku said.

"Yeah, they have."

"What about you, Miko?" asked Mookie.

I saw that Miko was hesitant to explain, but I looked at him like 'it's okay' and he explained on how he got here. Everyone looked at him and Ty holds his hand and said, "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, it was horrible."

"How old are you guys?"

"I'm 11." Sudoku replied.

"I'm 6." said Shanghai.

"I'm 5." Brian said.

"11." Ty said.

"8." Mookie said.

"10." Joey replied.

"11." Sonic said.

"8." Seth said.

"I'm 7." Miko said.

"I'm 7 too." I said.

"Hey, Musaki." asked Seth.

"Yeah?"

"You and Miko...wanna play with us?"

"You sure?"

"Of course."

"Sure." Miko said.

I was a little nervous about it, but when I found out they were cool with me after seeing me save Miko, I figured they would like me. I asked them, "Do you guys...like me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't we?" asked Shanghai.

"You can trust us. We're friends." Ty said, happily.

Hearing that made me feel happy inside and then I said, "Okay."

So, we all went around the yard and we started playing hide and seek. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was happy that I made some new friends. Any fears I have of making new friends vanished away after I met them. I was starting to believe that everything's gonna be okay.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Sounds like things are looking up for you?<p>

Musaki: Yeah, I guess I found some friends. I'm still friends with them, by the way.

Animation Universe 2005: By the way, if most of you don't know or don't remember these characters, they're featured in my fic, 'Musaki's Wound.' I just thought up of how they first met in this one.

Musaki: But I had hoped for a family that will accept me for me and only me, though the tragedy held me back.

Animation Universe 2005: So, will things get better for him? It's kinda unknown at this point, but things will go well later on in the story. So, stick around for the next chapter! Don't forget to review!


	16. Adapting to New Friends

Somehow there's this new feeling over me when it comes to having friends.

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><p>Chapter 16: Adapting to New Friends<p>

Since I made some new friends, something has changed about me, though I still miss my parents a lot. I started getting out a little and just having fun with my new friends. We pretty much did everything together-played dominoes, hide-and-seek and we always talked with each other. Whenever I always feel down, most of them would do anything to make me laugh.

Me and Miko have been friends for a while and the more we talk, the more open I become about everything. I don't know what's this feeling over me, but it feels like I want to trust him.

"So, how come you have a trust issue when it comes to making friends?" asked Miko.

"Would you ever make friends with a skinny panda like me?" I asked, worriedly.

"Of course I would. I would never judge you. I have the same thought too."

"You do?"

"Yeah, when I first came here, no one at the orphanage seems to be friends with someone like me. I have made a few, but I'm mostly a loner."

"That's how I feel at times."

"Would you make friends with a snow leopard like me? Some people think I'm like Tai Lung, but I'm totally the opposite. We're not related and I'm so glad I'm not."

"I know you're not like Tai Lung. You're cool, funny, kind, good and a really good friend. Those are the things that Tai Lung will never be. There's no shame in being different."

"I like who I am and I'm glad I have someone like you to let me see that."

Then, Sudoku and Shaghai came over and greeted us and Shanghai asked, "How are you guys?"

"Fine, I guess." I replied.

They both sat down next to us and Miko notices my necklace hanging from my neck and he asked, "What's that?"

I looked down and I noticed that he's talking about my necklace. I told him, "I've always had it before my parents died. It's pretty much the only thing I have left to remember them by."

"They must really love you, huh?" asked Shanghai.

"Yeah, they did."

"So, they were killed by Tai Lung?" asked Sudoku.

"Yep. It still hurts just to even talk about it."

"It does?"

"Mm-hmm."

Then, Sonic comes in with Joey, Brian, Seth, Ty and Mookie and they greeted us and everything. Joey looks at my necklace and asked, "Wow. What's that?"

"That's my necklace."

"It's a great necklace." Brian said.

"Thanks. My parents gave them to me."

They can tell that it's really special to him and suddenly, Seth shows his necklace as well and it's all silver with an 'S' in the middle of it. I gasped softly and asked, "That's yours?"

"Yes. I didn't know who gave it to me, but on the back of it, there's a saying there, 'The stakes are high, the water's rough but this love is ours.' Like I said, I didn't know my parents, but I can tell that someone actually cared for me before all of this."

"Wow."

Suddenly, I see Joey reading something on my necklace and he reads, 'You are not alone for I am where with you, though you're far away, I am here to stay for you are not alone for I am where with you, though we're far apart, you're always in my heart for you are not alone.'

Soon, I'm starting to remember what that meant when I first got it. It's like I can hear my dad's voice coming out my head.

'As long as you wear this necklace, know that we will always be with you and we will be in your heart.'

I never understood what it meant then, but it feels like I did. I sighed sadly and lowered my head a little and Miko pits his hand on my shoulder and said, "Sounds like it's spoken from the heart."

I was tearing up and I told them, tearfully, "I never really thought that they would love me that much. I know they always did. I feel like...there's an empty space in my heart."

"What kind of empty space?" asked Sonic.

"Like something's missing. I've been feeling that ever since my parents died and it felt like my life has no meaning. I've been living through loneliness, sadness, fear and hurt for four years."

"We may not know why it all happens, but sometimes we just have to try to move forward." Sudoku said.

"It's kinda hard for me to get used to the fact that they're really gone. It's like...I got no one, like I'm all alone."

"But you're not alone. You've got us."

"And we'll always be here for you." Seth said.

The fact that I was surrounded by friends who really care for me kinda made me feel like a little piece of me is starting to heal. I smiled a little and I wiped my tears quickly and said, "Thank you, guys."

"You're welcome."

"So, how good are you at hide-and-seek?" asked Miko.

"I think I'm good at it." I replied.

"Bet you can't find me."

"Oh, we'll see about that. You guys hide and I'll count."

We played hide and seek and some of them were hiding while I was trying to find them and it wasn't long before I got them all and we all chased each other and just started laughing. It don't think I've ever had that much fun in my life but I think this is what I needed and I hope it stays like this for a while.

* * *

><p>Musaki: I still have that necklace with me. And it's not so bad making new friends.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: It's a good thing you have friends that accept you for who you are.

Musaki: Thanks.

Animation Universe 2005: Okay, next chapter is gonna be cool. Musaki gets to see his heroes for the first time-the Furious Five. You'll see how he idolizes them...well four of the five anyway.

Musaki: I think you guys will see the answer on how the Furious Five became a big part of my life and how they inspired me to be the person I am now.

Animation Universe 2005: Until the next chapter...

Both: Read and review!


	17. Kung Fu Craze

And here's how I got re-interested in kung-fu again. Now you'll see how I look up to the Furious Five for the first time...well most of the Five anyway.

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><p>Chapter 17: Kung Fu Craze<p>

Another year comes by and I'm standing outside of the tree just watching the little kids play and from everything I see, most of them got into kung-fu. I saw them portaying most of the Furious Five and I never knew who they were, but I heard that there were kung-fu masters trained by Master Shifu.

I kinda forgotten most parts about kung-fu because my dad taught me when I was younger and I guess I kinda let it slip out of my memory after they died. But seeing them getting into it, I thought maybe I should jump back into this bandwagon for myself.

So, I went up to most of them and I saw them doing their crazy moves they try to do and I asked, "Can I join you guys?"

"Sure. I'm playing Monkey and she's Viper. You can be Crane."

"Crane?"

"Yeah, he flies."

"Okay."

We start playing around for a while and they pretended to be like those and I got into being the Crane. I tried to do his moves where he sticks his wings out, though I just stick out my hands and jump up. We played around for a few minutes and then we started talking a little bit.

"So, who's your favorite Furious Five member?"

"I don't really know."

"You've never heard of the Furious Five before? They're like only the greatest kung-fu masters around!"

"I have heard of them before. I just don't know who I like most."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that once you'll meet them, they'll be really awesome."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

I walked off and walked all the way back to my room and then Ms. Faye kinda wanted to talk to be about something. I walked over to her and she said, "Musaki, it's been 5 years. Don't you think that maybe it's time you'd be adopted?"

I sighed heavily and said, "I'm not sure yet."

"I know it's been a long time since your parents died, but you have to let that go."

"I have a hard time letting it go. I mean...what if it happens again with a new family? I just don't want to go through that kind of pain again."

"Musaki, I worry about you. Every year, you always stay in your room and never get a chance to be adopted to a new family. Do you not want a new family?"

"Who would adopt someone like me? I don't fit in with the others. And not even one family will accept a skinny panda like me."

"Don't say these things. You're only eight. Don't you think anyone will adopt you for you? Any family would be thrilled to have you in their lives. You should at least try to be happy."

"I just don't want to be a burden to them over missing my parents."

"You won't be. Just try."

"Okay."

As soon as I went back to the hallway, I made my way back to my room and sat down on the corner just wanting some time to myself. Then, the door opens and it's Miko heading in my room and he saw me sitting here and asked, "You okay?"

I didn't respond at all, but he could tell something was wrong with me, so he sits down next to me and was willing to stay until I spill the beans. I looked at him slowly, trying not to show any tears at all, but they were visible already.

I sighed heavily and turned to him and said, "Do you think any family will adopt someone like me?"

"Are you kidding me? I think any family would take you in. I asked myself that same question all the time and it's always unanswered. I questioned myself like 'will anyone adopt me the way I am?' or 'will they accept me for me?'. Those are the kind of questions that hit you. It doesn't matter if you're a panda, a boar, a snow leopard, a wolf or whatever-any family will adopt you just the way you are."

I wiped my tears away and it grew silent for a while. What Miko said made sense, but it barely sunk in. I wasn't confident that a family will adopt me, but at least I can have high hopes for it. Knowing that someone has got my back definitely helps a lot and I asked, "How long were you planning on sitting here?"

"All day." Miko answered.

We were both laughing with each other and I said, "Well, I appreciate that."

"No problem."

Suddenly, Sudoku came in and saw me and Miko hanging out and said, "Hey, guys! The Furious Five are here!"

"Shut up! Really?" asked Miko.

"The entire orphanage are going crazy! You guys have got to see this!"

We stood up and went out of the room and by the time we went outside, it was pure pandemonium. Suddenly, I see them for the first time-Crane, Viper, Monkey, Mantis and Tigress. They all entered in this crazy kung-fu move that just totally blew our minds.

I looked at them and I said, "Whoa...this is cool."

Then, they banded together and Crane was floating on top of them with his wings flapping in full force and they were all cheering and everything. Suddenly, Master Shifu and Master Oogway came in greeted all of us here. They all bowed down with respect and I joined in as well because this is a big deal for everyone here.

Not long after, I saw one of the members showing off thier moves and what amazed me is that she was a snake and she flew up in the air with her sick moves. I don't know what it was, but I was floored by her grace, skills and her face and I immediately adored her.

Then it was apparent that everyone took a liking to Tigress, which I didn't get because from what I heard, she's one of the fiercest, hardcore member and everyone keeps saying that she's a favorite out of the Five members.

I was paying more attention to Viper because she seemed more interesting than Tigress. I somehow became enraptured by Crane, Mantis and Monkey and I became big fans of them by their moves. Theirs are different, but they're most likely awesome at what they do.

"I hope that'll be me one of these days..." I said, softly.

Suddenly, when it was all over, most of the Five were heading towards the orphanage to just have a little fun and do some demonstrating their kung-fu skills with the kids and I headed back to my room, but with this new feeling of amazement. Something I never actually felt before.

So I entered my room and just sat down on my bed, just looking up at the ceiling and I thought to myself, 'What if I lived where they live?' That'd be a crazy thought, but I can only imagine.

Not long after, I see a shadow coming through my room and I kinda hid away for a bit. As I hid under my bed, I saw Tigress walking through. I rolled my eyes and asked myself, 'What is she doing in my room?'

Then I heard her say, "Fond memories of this room. Not much has changed last time I was here."

I was disturbed to hear that the isolated room used to be Tigress' room. Took me by surprise and it made me sick to my stomach. Just as she was about to leave, I sneezed. She stopped and let out a kung-fu spar move and she wanted to know who was there.

She then went in under my bed and caught me laying there. I was definitely nervous and somewhat scared to be near her, so I backed slowly and came out of the bed.

"What were you doing under here?"

I said nothing because she seemed like she was pretty much mad at me for some reason. I kinda turned away and just looked at the floor and a very tense silence filled in the room. She snarled at me and I felt like she was gonna attack me just for hiding.

She was still waiting for an answer and I saw her eyes and they scared the crazy crap out of me, so I told her, "Hiding from you."

Hearing this added to her cold nature and she walked off in disgust and then turns around and asked, "How long have you had this room?"

"5 years."

"Had you been adopted yet?"

"No. Too scared to."

She sighed exasperatedly and she told me, "Why am I wasting time talking to you? You're a disgrace to me."

I stood there stunned and suddenly, I soon saw that she left some Furious Five action figures. It had the whole members-Crane, Mantis, Tigress, Viper and Monkey. Suddenly, I keep hearing kids saying how cute and fierce Tigress is and I became absoultely disgusted by those descriptions of her and I knew I wasn't a big fan of hers after the situation and even before the situation.

Then, one said to me, "I see you got the action figures."

"Yeah."

"Who's your favorite?"

"I haven't picked yet, but I'm going with Viper."

"Why Viper?"

"She's my ultimate favorite and I think I might have a small crush on her."

"Why not Tigress? She's like the ultimate warrior."

I covered my face in disgust and said, "Oh, brother. What's so great about her anyway?"

"Uh, she's like the coolest one out of the Five."

"Plus, she is good-looking."

"Okay, that's weird. I like four of the Five, so I would say Tigress is my least favorite member."

They walked away for a bit and then I went inside and looked at the action figures. I picked up the Tigress one and immediately the sounds of her voice ran through my head and how everyone loves Tigress a lot really seemed to irk me. With that, I chucked it across the room and then, picked it up again and bit off its head. I spat it out and put it in the trash along with her head.

All four of them are simply still standing and I chose Crane as one of my favorites because the way he does those tricks made me feel awe-struck. Mantis is my second favorite because he's small, but that doesn't make him any less awesome and there's Monkey. He's pretty cool and he's got a crazy acrobatic style to add along with it.

And then there's Viper. She's pretty much awesome in every way and anyway I slice it, she's fierce. Though different from Tigress, at least she's pretty amazing and she's the only girl out of the two girls of the Five that I consider to be my crush.

I suddenly jumped in the Furious Five bandwagon and felt like these guys-not counting Tigress-inspired me to go back into doing kung-fu. I started doing a few of the moves and I felt it'll have use for me when I get older.

Sudoku came in and said, "How was the show?"

"It is definitely awesome! I loved it."

"They gave out some posters and awesome memorabilia of the Five. I got a few of those for you if you want some."

He gave those to me and I said, "Thanks."

As soon as those posters were in the wall, I definitely felt like this will be the start of something cool. That night, I laid in my bed hoping that maybe one of those days, I might be in that palace, but the chance of adopting are still slim for me. So, the doubts about being adopted came back and I was still unsure if someone will adopt me for me.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Okay, you biting off Tigress' head..that's crazy.<p>

Musaki: Well, I couldn't stand the fact that everyone favors her out of the Five. They think she's so hot. Eeew!

Animation Universe 2005: But you live with them now.

Musaki: Yeah, that's true. But still...

Animation Universe 2005: Well stick around for the next chapter as Musaki experiences one of his least favorite seasons.

Musaki: Winter is not my favorite season. I can describe it as the season of loneliness. By the way, don't tell anyone that I bit off Tigress' action-figured head. She will freak.

Tigress: (angrily): WHAT?

Musaki: Uh...let me and my creator know what you guys think and don't forget to leave a review and stick around for the next chapter. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll try to get out of here. (runs off)

Animation Universe 2005: Okay...that was unexpected.


	18. Loneliness of Winter

Winter is not only the coldest part that I feel. The wintry season also brings something that adds to my grief and emotional pain.

* * *

><p>Chapter 18: Loneliness of Winter<p>

Winter-another season that brings in another part of my loneliness. Ever since my parents' death, my depression has been increased when winter comes. Everytime I see snow falling out of sky in my window, it makes me feel really sad. I pretty much miss out on everything that seems like fun in winter because of the emotional grief and pain I've been in for so long.

I look over at the room and I saw a little gift given by the caretaker. I didn't know what it was or why she sent it to me. When I picked it up, there was a note on the front of it that said, 'Just to keep you warm'. She left it there three christmases ago and I never even noticed it. So I opened it up and there was a blue and green winter hat and a red scarf inside there as well as a pair of homemade orange and brown shorts with a little green and orange checkers around the waist.

I tried on the shorts and when I put them on, it kinda fits me and I looked at myself and realize that I did look pretty different and I also had no clue she sent these to me. And I tried on the scarf and winter hat and it made a pretty cool fit.

I kinda wanted to go out to Ms. Faye and thank her, but I'm sorta scared to because the emotional pain has been harboring inside of me for so many years that it makes it impossible to ever go outside.

A knock on the door comes in and it's Ms. Faye coming in to check in on me. She walks up to me and sees me with the shorts and said, "I see you got my present."

I looked at her and asked, "Why did you give me this?"

"Since you came here, I just felt like you might need some clothing, especially in the winter to keep you warm."

"Well, thank you."

"Every winter, you never come out of your room. Why is that?"

I sighed sadly and I only looked at the snow falling down on my window and I told her, "Because I can't escape the sorrow of my parents' death. I used to have so many memories of me and my parents together in the winter. But now...it feels like it's nothing but a blur. Now every winter, I feel an empty space in me that isn't filled up."

"Musaki...things happen for a reason. You have to try to move forward."

"I just don't wanna forget about them."

"And you won't. Those memories will always be with you."

She gets up and then gives me a hug and walks out of the room. After that, even her hug couldn't help me feel better. I took off the scarf and winter hat and I sat down and curled myself up and started crying again. Seconds later, I felt a warm hand placed inside of my shoulder and then I looked up and it was Seth. He looked at me and asked, "You okay?"

"Not really."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Winter is not my favorite season."

"Why is that?"

"I just get so lonely every winter and while other people have fun, I'm stuck here with a lot of sorrow inside of me because my parents died."

"Saki, I feel the same way. When you're lonely during the wintertime, it always seems hard to get over something that you wish it didn't happen. And even when spring is near, the loneliness never goes away. But sometimes, you just have to let it all go and try to move on."

"I don't know..."

"Just try to have some fun in winter."

I never really thought about having fun when it comes to winter, but I remembered what Seth told me and try to at least move forward. I looked over at him and asked, "What's happening outside?"

"Well, everyone's getting ready for Christmas."

Seth explained to me about what's happening and I wanted to be a part of it, though I was kinda reluctant about it. But I know that it might be something to get out of my loneliness and be around my friends. The minute we got out, I saw this huge tree decorated with a bunch of beautiful stuff and all the kids were just playing around and having fun.

Then, as soon as we came outside, Miko, Sudoku and Shanghai were having a snowball fight. Not long after, they hit us with a snowball and we decided to get them. With my winter outfit, it became much easier to keep myself warm while braving the cold. Seth and I joined in on this winter fun as we threw snowballs back at them and then, we made a snow panda as well as making snow angels. I guess I never how much fun I'll ever have even in wintertime.

What makes it more fun-the fact that I have my friends with me to be around.

As Christmastime came, there were a couple of presents left in my room since I never came out every year and some of them were just toys, clothes and stuff. Nothing special, except for one gift that stood out the most-a friendship bracelet. It was a blue, red, green and orange color with zigzags in the middle where it reads 'Musaki'.

I tried it on my wrist and it fit really well. Suddenly, in comes Miko and I can tell he's looking at my friendship bracelet and he asked me, "You like it?"

I looked up and there he was standing there on the door and I asked, "Who made this?"

"Me, Seth, Shanghai, Sudoku, Joey, Brian, Ty, Mookie and Sonic made this for you. We thought that since we're friends, we might be able to make you something. The caretaker told me you never had a christmas since you've been here and I just hope that this will show how much we really care about you."

I looked at it and it had a saying on that says, 'Find hope within yourself.' Then I turned to Miko and I said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. No matter what we'll always be friends."

We both gave each other a hug and it dawned me-to think that they cared so much for me to make something like this brings me a little joy back in my life. I see that he has a friendship bracelet as well and it was in a different color and pattern with black and yellow zigzags on it.

"We're always there for you."

Then, I looked up and there Sonic, Mookie, Ty, Seth, Brian, Joey, Sudoku and Shanghai coming in and we all hugged each other and Miko said, "Merry Christmas, Musaki."

"Thank you guys."

2 months has passed and yet I'm still harboring the loneliness over my parents' death. I'm not even sure if I wanted to move on with my life yet because I don't wanna forget about my parents. Suddenly, the door opens and I didn't even turn around because I looked at the wall.

"Are you Musaki?"

It was a girl. I could tell from her voice. I nodded my head and then, she said, "My name's Summer. I'm an orphan too."

Silence filled the room and she could tell that I'm still having a difficult time and she said, "I just came to give you something. It's a little something for valentine's day."

I still didn't look at her.

"Ms. Faye told me about you. I've been here for three and a half years now and I saw you several times before, but you were always so distant from everyone. Anyways, I just came here to check on you and say 'Happy valentine's day' to you."

She then left and after that, I turned around and it was empty again and then I looked at my bed and there's a card that reads, 'Hope you find a family. Have a great valentine's day. Summer.' Then, there was a bunch of candy all over and of course, there were chocolates.

I ate a few of those and looked at the card too. I didn't know who she was and I never really noticed her but for a split second.

"Summer..."

2 weeks later, I was walking over to the hallway to meet her again, but as I was looking for her, I looked over to the other side of the orphanage and found her with a new family. It kinda crushed me and I was filled with a lot of regret that I never got to say 'hello' or 'goodbye' or even a 'thanks again'. With that, I headed back to my room and sunk into another depression.

"I just wish winter would be over..."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: You still have the friendship bracelet?<p>

Musaki: (looking at the bracelet): I've been wearing it ever since.

Animation Universe 2005: And I saw how you felt when you heard that Summer left and you let it slip away.

Musaki: Yeah. I could've told her 'thank you'. Winter was not my favorite season of the year because so much suffering happened every year and sometimes I wish it could be over.

Animation Universe 2005: Well, now you embrace it.

Musaki: I guess.

Animation Universe 2005: Stick around for more of this! Read and review, please!


	19. Friends Come and Go

And here's where I spent my last moments with my friends. Because we never saw each other after they were adopted. And once again, my loneliness came back to me...at least at the end of the chapter.

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><p>Chapter 19: Friends Come and Go<p>

Months went on and me and my friends have never been that much closer. I was pretty much used to being around them rather than be in my own loneliness over what happened to my parents. They've been there for me ever since I was seven and it's like a bond that cannot be broken.

One day, we were looking at the skies just guessing to see what it looks like and we were talking and laughing and everything.

"That looks like a sword." Miko said.

"You think so?" I asked.

"Dude, look at it."

I looked up and I did see it for the first time and I said, "That does look like a sword, only softer."

We started laughing and then, Miko looked up and said, "Hey, that looks like a rhino getting ready for battle."

Shanghai looked up and said, "Why does he have a puffy hammer on his hands?"

"A what?"

Shanghai started laughing and Miko scoffed and said, "Very funny."

"Hey, I think I see something really cool." Seth said.

"What's that?" asked Brian.

"I see...Musaki...along with the Furious Five together."

I looked up and I realize that he was right. The cloud really does look like me, but the fact that it's the Five makes it cooler. But then I realized that being a part of them is something anyone can imagine. I said, "You're kidding, right?"

"Think about it. What if...they were your family?"

"Even if they would, they wouldn't be able to take in someone like me. I'm not that big and strong."

"But you like how they do those amazing kung-fu moves." Joey said.

"That's true. But my chance of being adopted is one in a million and I'm not sure about that thought yet."

"Come on, Musaki. You never know who will adopt you."

"We just want what's best for you because we're your friends and we're willing to make you happy." Mookie said.

"There will come a time where we might be adopted, but we'll still be here for you no matter what." Ty said.

I began thinking about it and it's kinda of an uneasy answer for me, but I know that they're trying to encourage me to be happy. I sighed softly and said, "I guess so."

"Speaking of that, we almost forgot to tell you-we might be adopted later this year." Sonic said.

What Sonic said kinda sunk my heart a little and the fact that they're gonna be adopted really scares me because they're my first friends that I ever have. I started feeling more depressed after Sonic broke the news and that I might be back to being lonely. Miko looks at me and puts his hand on my shoulder and said, "Ms. Faye told us this morning after some family saw us last week and said that they might adopt us. We didn't know how to tell you this because we didn't know how you'll react."

"So...does that mean...our friendship is over?" I asked, worriedly.

"No. We'll always be friends. Besides, it'll be around five or six weeks until we get adopted. So we'll spend our last moments together."

"It just won't be the same."

"Hey, Musaki. You'll be adopted too someday. All you have to do is believe."

I sighed heavily and felt like they were right. I was just scared too because I lost my parents and I just don't want to lose someone that I really grew to be close with. Loneliness seems to add up my emotional pain.

Then, I looked at them and realize that I should be happy for them, because they'll get their chance. I told them, "I'll miss you guys."

"So will we."

I spent every waking moment with them and during that time, I turned nine and I spent that day with my friends and had some fun. We did everything together like doing some kung-fu, hide-and-seek, learning how to dance and looking at the stars and skies. I hoped that those memoires will be here with me because it's nice to know that they'll be here in my heart and we made a promise that we will always be here for each other.

Six weeks has passed and suddenly, I went outside and saw Miko, Shanghai, Sudoku, Ty, Sonic, Mookie, Joey, Brian and Seth come in with two pandas coming in to adopt them. Before they even left, I went up to them and I can see that they're ready to go. My eyes were welling up with tears as I went in and they turned around and saw me standing there.

Miko looks over at me and said, "Well, this is it."

"I wish you guys didn't have to go." I said, tearfully.

"So do we. But what's done is done and our friendship...will live on." Shanghai said.

"Don't forget about me."

"We won't forget about you."

Most of us were in tears as I hugged every single one of them and Miko and I hugged each other because we were like best friends and brothers almost. Seth looks at me and said, "Don't think of it as goodbye. Think of it as 'see you later.'"

But to me, it was already goodbye. Ms. Faye comes in and said, "Boys, it's time."

I lowered my head down knowing that I won't see them again really kills me. Miko tells me, "Be strong, Musaki."

I looked over at my friendship bracelet because I still have it and I know he still has it and we'll be friends until the end. They then walked off and went in with their new family. I took one last look at them as I waved goodbye to them. After they left, I went back to my room and got in my bed and started crying. I've lost my parents and my friends have gone with a new family.

I looked up at the ceiling and the tears start falling out of my eyes as I feel the emptiness, sadness and loneliness come out of me again.

"Why did this have to happen?" I asked tearfully.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Took it hard, huh?<p>

Musaki: Yeah, I did. I still have the friendship bracelet and right now, I can hang out with them now that we've reunited.

Animation Universe 2005: That's a good thing. Anyways, stick around for more!

Musaki: Don't forget to read and review!


	20. Feeling Alone Again

My reaction to losing my friends. Once again, loneliness strikes again, but I get some advice from my part-time guardians.

* * *

><p>Chapter 20: Feeling Alone Again<p>

Since my friends left, I went back to being lonely and depressed and I felt like there was no hope at all and at that point, I felt like I don't have any friends at all. Not only that, but the struggles of getting through every single day of dealing with the loss of my parents has risen. I just felt that me being adopted will never happen.

Then, there's a knock on the door and when it opens, I see two pandas come in and I kinda recognized both of them.

"You okay, kid?" one asked.

I looked up with tears in my eyes and said, "I guess."

"Come on, don't give us that."

"We've been checking on you for almost 7 years and I think we can tell that something's bothering you."

I tried to make excuses for it, but I knew that they know that I can't hide it forever. I let out a heavy, deep sigh and then as soon as I tried to spill the beans, Brutus asked, "It's about your parents, isn't it?"

I nodded my head in sorrow and he puts his hand on my shoulder and said, "We've known you for a long time and you've always been so distant from others."

"When I'm around you guys, it's like something's...different."

"Like when you get along with us. Over the years, you've been at your saddest, but when you're with me or Brutus, you always seem like you can come to us for anything." Shakur explained.

"You think that's it?"

"We know so."

It was true with what they said. I have been okay with them for so many years and they tried to help me gain some comfort after I was here, but at times I just still feel this empty space inside of me that's always been around.

"You wanna...talk about it with us?"

I nodded my head and I explained to them everything and they know that they will do whatever they can to try to give me happiness until someone comes to adopt me. I even told them about my friends that I had before they were adopted and that after they were gone, it felt really lonely.

"Well, friends come and go, but they're still your friends. Maybe you can see each other again when you're adopted." Brutus said.

"How do you know?"

"Me and Brutus were adopted when we were four and we felt like we didn't need anyone else to fill in the gaps of our parents, but as time rolled on, we got used to it and it kept us together. And we're telling you this from experience that you can overcome your loneliness."

The fact that they were adopted when something horrible happened makes me think that they went through the same things I did, but different. I lowered my head and said, "I hope so. Because I'm not even sure if they would adopt someone like me."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm a skinny panda."

"So?"

"How would they even accept me?"

"By just being yourself. That's all that counts." Brutus said.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course. Just keep your head up, okay?"

"I'll try."

As soon as they left, I kinda felt like what they said sunk in. Even though I'm still unconfident about it, talking with Brutus and Shakur always made me feel a little better. All the years since they came to my life after the rhino guards took me here with them and at times where I feel lonely, I've always felt safe around them because they were like my father figures.

Only time will tell if I'll ever be adopted to a new family and hopefully, it'll be good for me.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe: Okay, I know it's kinda short, so just bear with me on this. I kinda forgot the fact that they were his guardians in my last fic almost a year and a half ago. So when I looked up at my past fics, I thought 'Dude, you should put them in this fic so everyone will know who brought him to the Jade Palace'. If it's confusing, I apologize. But I'll try to make sense of it as possible.<p>

Musaki: (entering the room): I see you're telling them about Shakur and Brutus. They're like my father figures before Shifu.

Animation Universe: I bet they were good people.

Musaki: They are.

Animation Universe: Well, feel free to read and review. I'll be back for more! And by the next chapter, Musaki will 10 and you will see how he got into singing.

Musaki: Hope you guys like it. It's where I started singing just to let my emotions out. And I'll also explore being what 10 years old feels like.


	21. Finding My Voice

And here's how my singing and music talents came to be.

* * *

><p>Chapter 21: Finding My Voice<p>

Another year comes by and I'm still harboring over the death of my parents and I felt like it'll keep bottling up inside of me for who knows how long. I just turned 10 years old and I looked at myself in the mirror and saw myself getting older, though I don't feel or look any older.

I know that it's the tenth year of my birth, but it still feels very empty without my parents here to embrace it. I lowered my head down and the tears started to fall down on my face and I started crying.

I sat down on the ground with my head lowered down and in between my legs. It just made me think that now that I'm older, I'll forget about my parents. The thought of it left me very shaken and wondered that it'll be the most painful thing that'll ever happen to me.

Soon enough, I looked at my flute and I started playing with it to sort of release my feelings out. For so many years, I played the flute to help with the emotional pain that I've been stuck inside of for so many years and between those years, I need to release all of those feelings in different ways.

When I went around the orphange, I saw that there was a little guitar there. And when I looked at it, I saw the back that was carved 'M'. I didn't know if it's mine or someone else's, but then Brutus came by and said, "See you found your gift."

I looked at him very surprised like and I asked, "That's mine?"

"Yep."

I looked at it and when I picked it up for the first time, it just felt like this was something really new for me. I chuckled softly and I said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, kid."

Minutes later, I went back to my room and started practicing my guitar skills. The first few hours, I started practicing and I tried to make it sound cool though I struggled a little bit, but I got it down eventually in almost four hours. I just felt like with this thing, I can let go most of my feelings, though my emotional wounds are still kinda fresh to me. I sighed heavily and I just felt like there's something missing inside of me that just wants to express it all.

Soon enough, I pull in some of the poems or songs I wrote years ago and just decided to play the guitar to give it a little test and then start to sing a little.

_And I wanna believe you_

_when you tell me that it'll be okay_

_Yeah, I tried to believe you_

_but I don't_

_When you say that it's gonna be_

_it always turns out to be a different way_

_I tried to believe you_

_not today, today, today, today, today..._

_I don't know how I'll feel_

_tomorrow, tomorrow_

_And I don't know what to say_

_tomorrow, tomorrow_

_is a different day_

I stopped quickly and then, my tears were falling down quickly and I started crying softly. It's like the one part of me has been hiding for so long and I let it flow outside of me. I looked over another one and I started singing again.

_I found my box of letters_

_lying on the ground_

_The ones you used to write me_

_before it all went down_

_I even got a papercut_

_trying to figure out_

_what to do_

_with all these memories_

_You're not who you're used to be_

_and I wonder where you've gone_

_Have you fallen down a black hole?_

_Somewhere there's a universe of missing stuff_

_What happened to the good times?  
>What happened to the moments where we had so much?<em>

_Where's the love?_

_Where's the love...?_

I held that note while I was choking sobs. It was difficult to fight back those tears because it's something I never felt before. Suddenly, there's a knock on the door and when I turned around, there was Ms. Faye coming in.

"Was that you?" she asked.

I slowly nodded my head and she came in and said, "It sounded beautiful. It's like nothing I never heard before."

I was kinda surprised when she said that to me. I just found it to let go of my painful feelings and I didn't expect someone to actually hear my voice. I just started singing just now. Then, I looked at her and said, "Me? You sure?"

"I'm sure. Maybe you should perform."

I was surprised to actually hear that. I wasn't even ready to let it all out yet, so I chuckled nervously and asked, "You're kidding, right? Who wants to hear me sing?"

"Everyone in the entire orphanage. Maybe the entire valley."

"I don't know..."

"Give it a try."

I wasn't too sure about it, because I wasn't quite ready to do it just yet. I'm still learning. But on the other hand, it might be nice to just go for it. I took her word for it and I reluctantly said, "Okay."

"Good."

Minutes later, I just found out that they're putting in a talent show tonight. All of the orphans will perform. I was dead nervous after I saw that little reminder, but then I Shakur came up to me and said, " They got a talent show tonight. You'd be great at this, Musaki."

I turned around and asked, "Who, me?"

"Yeah, you. Don't think me and Brutus didn't hear you sing. You've got something there. You just got to believe in it and trust it."

"I don't know. I..."

"Come on. Me and Brutus will be there cheering you on."

"Hey, Shakur! Just found out that the Furious Five are gonna open the entire show!" Brutus called out.

"What?"

"Yeah, it's true. They'll be here tonight."

I grew anxious and excited at the same time because this is a huge ordeal. I didn't say that I was ready for it, but something inside of me wanted me to go for it. Besides, I'm a huge fan of the Five anyway. Shakur looked at me and said, "They'll be looking at you."

I groaned softly and nervously said, "I hope I don't screw up."

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because we believe in you. You just have to believe in yourself."

"Besides, you never know unless you try." Brutus said.

If they thought so, maybe I should try. I didn't have enough time practicing and stuff because it's about to start very quickly and I decided to just try my best and hopefully...not suck in front of the Five.

Minutes later, the show began and as soon as I got to most of front row, the Five suddenly appear showing off their signature kung-fu moves. As soon as they did their crazy moves, it got me amazed and it was cool to see Viper doing her tricks. I sighed softly as I looked at her. I don't know why I still had a crush on her, but something kicks in me, I guess.

After that, everyone-even me-went crazy nuts and it got the crowd pumped up, including me. Then, Master Shifu came by and said, "Thank you all for witnessing this amazing performance. Now it's your turn to show off your amazing talent."

I started seeing some of the kids do their talents-from dance, kung-fu moves, singing and also storytelling, it was like the coolest thing ever. Later, I went backstage because I might be called in a few. I already had knots in my stomach and I had my guitar out because I was super worried about what might happen after I start to sing in front of millions or what they might think of my singing.

Not long after, they called my name and I was too scared to go, but then I see Shakur coming in and said, "You'll be great. We have all the confidence in you."

I took some deep breaths and walked across the stage and just sat down there with my guitar and I started playing a song. Then, I inhaled deeply, closed my eyes and just started singing.

_I see your face in my mind_

_as I walk away_

_Cause none of us thought_

_it was gonna end that way_

_People are people_

_and sometimes we change our minds_

_but it's killing me to see you go_

_after all this time_

_Mmm-mmm-mm-mm_

_Mmm-mmm-mm-mm_

_Music starts playing_

_like the end of a sad story_

_it's the kind of ending_

_you don't really wanna see_

_Cause it's tragedy_

_and it'll only bring you down_

_Now I don't know what to be_

_without you around_

_And we know it's never simple, never easy_

_Never a clean break, no one here to save me_

_You're the only thing I know_

_like the back of my hand_

_And I can't breathe_

_without you but I have to_

_Breathe without you_

_but I have to_

_Never wanted this_

_never wanna see you hurt_

_Every little bump in the road_

_I tried to swerve_

_People are people_

_and sometimes it doesn't work out_

_Nothing we say _

_is gonna save us from the fallout_

_And we know it's never simple, never easy_

_Never a clean break, no one here to save me_

_You're the only thing I know_

_like the back of hand_

_And I can't_

_Breathe without you but I have to_

_Breathe without you but I have to_

_It's 2 am_

_Feeling like I just lost a friend_

_Hope you know it's not easy_

_easy for me_

_It's 2 am_

_Feeling like I just lost a friend_

_Hope you know this ain't easy_

_easy for me_

_And we know it's never simple, never easy_

_Never a clean break, no one there to save me_

_Ohhh..._

_I can't_

_breathe without you but I have to_

_Breathe without you but I have to_

_Breathe without you but I have to..._

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry_

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry_

_Mmmm-mmm, yeah-eah_

_Ooohhh..._

The final guitar chord strums and suddenly, I hear this massive applause come out. I open my eyes and everyone's clapping and cheering and they were standing up. Even the Furious Five gave me a standing ovation and Master Shifu did the same. I looked up at Brutus and Shakur were cheering for me and I smiled a little and said, "Thank you."

I then walked out of the stage and after this was over, I went back to my room for a while and there was this new feeling swarming all over me. Was I feeling...confident? I didn't know what it was.

But then it diminished for a while because I know that song was still in a sad place for me. Then, Brutus came in and said, "That was great, Musaki. I knew you had it in you."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You did very well...for your first time." Shakur said.

"I guess I didn't know I had it in me."

Suddenly, Shifu clears his throat and comes in the room and comes to me and said, "Young man...Brilliant performance. You must be very good at it."

I didn't want to tell him that I never sung before until today because that would make me look stupid in front of the Grand Master, so I chuckled softly and said, "Thanks."

"Gentlemen."

Then, he bowed and then left the room and so did Shakur and Brutus. Overtime, I just started thinking that this is a new outlet for me and I just thought that maybe I can be a little better at it with some practice. Weeks after the talent show, I practiced on both the flute and the guitar, as well as my singing and since then, I've gotten better. The singing thing is pretty much a good thing too. Everything that's been inside of me for so long has been released because of that and I think that's how I found my voice.

* * *

><p>Musaki: And there you have it. That's how my singing came into form. And I still do it to this day.<p>

Animation Universe: Could've said it better myself.

Musaki: What do you mean by that?

Animation Universe: Never mind. Anyways, the songs were 'Tomorrow' from Avril Lavigne, 'Black Hole' from Lindsay Lohan (had to put that out there) and 'Breathe' from Taylor Swift. Stick around for more, people! Next chapter, the bullying for Musaki grows much worse with some new bullies.

Musaki (groaning): Why do you do this to me?


	22. Almost Growing

This chapter splits in two parts...where an old bully leaves, another one rises up and how I adapt into being 10. Yeah, being bullied sucks, but that doesn't stop me from learning more things on my own, especially when it comes to practicing kung-fu. Regardless of my bullying issues, I have to try to grow stronger and that's exactly what this chapter shows.

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><p>Chapter 22: Almost Growing<p>

Months passed by and it was pretty much apparent that being 10 is a little difficult for me because it feels like I'm getting much older now. It feels kinda scary to know that I'm not gonna be a kid anymore. As I walk towards the orphanage, I suddenly see Toshi and his friends going somewhere and it sounds like he's got a family that's gonna adopt him.

I pretty much felt relieved that no one's gonna bring in any harm to the other orphans and me. Seeing him go made me feel a little happy inside and maybe my bullying problems may be over.

Suddenly, I heard yet another set of teasing from behind me. When I turned around, there was a mountain cat coming in torturing these little ducks and calling them names. It was very traumatizing to know that yet another bully is here to make anyone's life miserable.

As I walked by to stop him, he turns his attention to me and immediately said, "What's a skinny panda doing here? I thought they'd be fat?"

"Look, I don't know who you are but you need to leave these kids alone."

"You don't call the shots around here!"

He then pushed me down hard and proceeds to punch me in the face hard. And then he grabbed me by the neck and said, "Listen, I've heard about you and your parents must be a fool to have you in their lives."

That made me mad and I shoved him down and I said, "Don't you dare say anything about my parents that way!"

"I bet they died to get away from your ugliness."

"Shut up!"

"That's all you are. You're ugly! You're freakin' ugly!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Or what, crybaby?"

I knew that he would make me mad, but it really started to hurt my feelings again, so I ran away from him while he was laughing and I went to my room and burst out crying. It feels like I'm helpless and hopeless again because another bully came to make my life miserable and then there was a snow leopard coming in and he threw some water at me.

"Some pandas can't hold their water. You might be the most skinny, ugliest panda I've ever seen."

"Who are you?"

"Eli."

He walks off and then there's two tigers coming in to beat me up in my room and laugh at my face. One said, "Pandas like you shouldn't even exist!"

"Yeah, cause you're skiny and pitiful!" another tiger said.

Eli comes back and sees the two tigers torment me and seems impressed with them and he said, "Hey guys. Kick him in the stomach hard."

Then, they both kicked me in the stomach hard. I groaned in pain and all three of them were laughing. Eli walked off with them and said, "You know, I think we might make a pretty good team. What are your names?"

"I'm Ian and this is my friend, Justin."

Eli looks at me and then spits on my face. He walks off with them again and said, "This might be the start of a beautiful team."

It definitely felt like my world has been destroyed and I'm back to being bullied yet again. I just broke down and start crying again because just when I thought things are starting to look up, it's like I'm falling apart again and it sucks.

I looked up and saw a sheet of paper and started to write a song about feeling broken and hoping that someone will comfort me. After 10 minutes, I picked up my guitar and my flute to sing this song. So, I played my flute and then picked up my guitar and started singing, tearfully.

_I am outside_

_and I've been waiting for the sun_

_with my wide eyes_

_I've seen worlds that don't belong_

_My mouth is dry_

_with words I cannot verbalize_

_tell me why_

_I live like this_

_Keep me safe inside_

_Your arms are like towers_

_tower over me, yeah..._

_Cause I am broken_

_What must I do restore_

_my innocence and all the promise I adored_

_Give me life again_

_cause I just wanna be whole_

_Lock the doors_

_Cause I'd like to capture this voice_

_that came to me every night_

_so everyone will have a choice_

_And under red lights_

_I'll show myself it wasn't forged_

_I'm at war_

_I live like this_

_Keep me safe inside_

_your arms are like towers_

_tower over me_

_Cause I am broken_

_What must I do to restore_

_my innocence and all the promise I adored_

_Give me life again_

_cause I just wanna be whole_

_Tower over me_

_tower over me..._

_and I'll take the truth at any cost!_

_Cause I am broken_

_What must I do to restore_

_my innocence_

_and all the promise I adored_

_Give me life again_

_Cause I just wanna be whole..._

After the final strum, I closed my eyes for a minute and turned away just so anyone can't see me cry. All of a sudden, I felt someone's hand touching my shoulder and when I looked up, it was Brutus. He then hugged me and I started crying on his shoulder.

"You gotta be strong, Saki." Brutus whispered.

We let go for a second and he wiped the tears out of my eyes and he walks off, then stops and said, "Things will be better, I promise."

As soon as he leaves, I felt like this might be a small push that I need to deal with my problem. Weeks have passed by and I was outside, practicing my kung-fu. It brought me to a point where I really want to go for it, so I emulated everything the Five did and plan to become stronger more than anything.

I get bullied now and again and it always bothered me, but sometimes what they do or say barely hurt me, even though it still kills me. Every night, I would go out and practice more kung-fu and exercise until I'm worn out. It was pretty much heavy, but whatever it takes to keep me focused on what I might set out to do.

The weeks then turned into months as I tried to grow stronger and do more kung-fu training, sometimes outside of the orphanage to look at the mountains while I'm doing kung-fu. Brutus and Shakur saw me practicing my skills and they were deeply impressed by it and we would often spar with each other.

"Man, kid. How much training did you do?" asked Brutus.

"A lot."

"You must've gotten good at it." Shakur said.

"You could say that."

"Sounds like you're growing up a little."

"I am?"

"Yeah, for almost eight years, you were this little cub that grew into a young panda."

"I'm still a kid though."

Another year rolls on and when I walked around the orphanage, I went into one room where I saw a piano near it. I was awe-struck by it and when I came in, I sat down and decided to teach myself how to play it. I started with one note and then, another one and within a short period of time, I started playing piano. It was in that moment that every emotion that I felt was suddenly released while I was playing it.

After I was finished with it, Ms. Faye came in there and she was completely surprised. I looked behind and there she was standing there. She said, "Did you learn how to play the piano?"

"Well...kinda."

"It sounded wonderful."

"It's actually something I've never done before."

"You've got so much potential. I just hope that you will at least be happy with a new family."

Once again, I became very unsure if this is what I would want to be in a new family because I have several fears that I always hide from everyone and I looked at her and asked, "You sure?"

"Positive. You're almost 11. You should've been adopted by now."

"Is being older...a bad thing?"

"No, it shouldn't. You should embrace it."

She walks off and I'm still standing here just thinking about what she said. It made perfect sense to me, but I just didn't want to forget my parents. That's the kind of fear that I have if I'm ever adopted to a new family.

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><p>Musaki: I got through that age really well. There were ups and downs, but moslty downs.<p>

Animation Universe: Seems like you're taking care of yourself.

Musaki: Paid off as well. Look at me now.

Animation Universe: Stay tuned for more as we see how Musaki got introduced to yoga for the first time.

Musaki: You get to see how I got into yoga. Just watch me find peace, spirit and where I can find my aura...or something like that.

Animation Universe: Moving on... And by the way, if you noticed the song Musaki sung to, it's 'We Are Broken' from Paramore.


	23. Learning Yoga

Now you get to see how I learned how to do yoga. Wanna see how? Here's the chapter for it as I explain it in my own words.

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><p>Chapter 23: Learning Yoga<p>

Yet another year passes by and I still can't get over my parents' death and the nonstop bullying that kept gripping me for a short amount of time. At that point, I was only 11 years old and something tells me that I'm getting older again. Much so than being 10, I ws definitely anxious about how I might adapt into being that age.

A knock on the door came in and in comes Brutus and he said, "Saki, how ya doing?"

I sighed heavily and said, "Not sure."

"So, how does it feel being 11?"

"I don't really know. It feels like I'm getting older now and it kinda scares me a little."

"Being 11 is a good experience. You're getting to be that much closer into being a teenager."

I was confused about that and I also remembered that most of the orphans were teenagers as well and most of them weren't that used to being a kid. I looked at him and asked, "Is being a teenager...scary?"

"Sorta. You won't be a teenager until when you're 13 or 14. You might face some challenges along the way, but I know you'll make it through."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're a bushido."

I made a confusing face because I didn't know what that meant and I asked, "What's a bushido?"

"It means 'way of the warrior' in Japanese."

And for some reason, I kinda understood it. Then, he tells me, "If you get through this, you can get through anything."

"Why?"

"Because you can do it."

He pats me on the back and walks out of the room. I then looked back and thought about that word.

"Bushido..."

Hours later, I walked out of the room to try to hone in some exercise, but then I was spotted by Eli. He walked behind me and kicked me in the back and I fell down on the ground. He started laughing hysterically and said, "Oops! I didn't see you there!"

I got up and I was starting to get really mad and furious and I asked, "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because it's fun."

"Well, it's not fun. You have nothing better to do than make my life miserable?"

"I have my friends to do that with me."

Then, Justin and Ian came over and already they're starting to beat me up and call me names. I tried to get away, but they kept dragging my legs and continued beating me down. Justin and Ian started laughing hysterically and Ian said, "You're a sissy panda!"

"I am not a sissy panda!"

"You're right. You're a sissy skinny panda!"

"Good one!" Justin said, howling with laughter.

Hearing this really hurts me deeply because I've been called 'skinny panda' too many times before and Eli looks at me and said, "A freak like you shouldn't even be here! You don't even deserve to exist! You shoulda stayed in your little panda home, panda freak."

Then, he spat on my face which made Justin and Ian laugh hysterically. Then, they left, but not before kicking me in the stomach. I groaned in pain as soon as they left and I was laying there on the ground feeling like my world's been crashed again. I got up and walked back inside, but not before I received a punch in the face by Kaiten and some kicks to the face as he walks by.

Kaiten looks at me and said, "Move it, freak."

Here it goes again. Why does everyone assume that I'm a freak? What did I ever do to them? Those kinda of things made me feel really upset and angry deep inside of me. Just because I'm different from others doesn't make me a freak or anything. I got to my room, slammed the door and just felt a big amount of anger coming out of me and I just covered my head and just punched a wall harder to release the fury in me.

I just couldn't get these voices out of my head and it brought me down to my knees and I just broke down crying uncontrollably. Not long after, Shakur came in the room and he could tell something was wrong. I didn't turn around because I didn't want him to see me like this.

He puts his hand on my shoulder and gave me a hug and I ended up crying on his shoulder. I looked at him with a few tears rolling down on my eyes and I asked, "Am I a freak?"

"No. Don't ever think things like that. These kids don't even know what they're talking about." Shakur said.

"Then why do they say it?"

"They just don't know you well. They just want to hide the fact that they're afraid of having a new family and want others to feel the same way too."

"I've suffered so much for eight years because of this."

"I know what you've been through. You know what you need?"

"What?"

"Something to help you find your inner peace. Follow me."

He takes me out of my room and then heads to his room and I didn't know what's going on. Then, he sets down two mats on the ground and I wasn't sure exactly what's going on. I asked, "What are we doing?"

"Have you ever done yoga before?"

I wasn't quite sure about it and of course, I figeted my fingers and said, "No."

"Have you ever heard of it before?"

"Sorta."

"Well, I'm gonna teach you everything I know about it and how whenever you kinda feel a little stressed or something that angers you inside, this is the one way to ease those negative feelings."

"Does it work?"

"It leaves you feeling relaxed. Watch me."

I saw Shakur sitting down on the mat with his legs crossed and his hands on the ground, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths while thinking peaceful thoughts. I sorta watched what he was doing and then, I saw him lay his stomach down flat on the floor and lifted up his legs and his arms and he lifted up his body as well. Then, he made a tree pose with his legs flexing and his other leg standing still and his arms stretched out and everything. With every yoga move he made, I was surprised as well as amazed by his flexibility.

He looked at me with a smile and he said, "Try it."

I was super nervous about it, but I walked in the mat anyway and decided to go for it. Step-by-step, he taught me some of the moves he did and I tried to go for it, though I did end up falling down several times and messing up a few parts. I tried to do what he did, but it kinda made it difficult for me. He saw me struggling and being a bit frustrated about it, so he opted to give me guidance and corrects me a few times.

As I copied what he did, I sorta got it down and not long after, I started getting the hang of it. Shakur sees me getting it and he smiled and wanted me to put in a mixture of yoga and kung-fu elements. He showed me a move that really took me by surprise-a warrior pose. He clenched his fist towards his chest, puts his feet apart, and stretches his body to the left and to the right and stretches his arms the same way and to the air.

I was immediately amazed by how he does it and I took a deep breath and went for it. I did the same thing he did and I felt like something was gonna snap any minute, but I ignored that feeling and focused on trying to make this move. Shakur sees this and sees that I mastered it well and by the next couple of hours, we did some more practicing to mix in kung-fu elements with yoga.

I've gotten better at it and within the next couple of days, Shakur taught me everything I needed to know about yoga and how I can find tranquility and peace because for a long time, I never had any peace because the only thing I felt was deep sorrow. Suddenly, the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months as I have gotten into it and for every time I would practice, he would show me what I learned.

When it came time to showcase it to him and Brutus, I did the best I could do and I would start off with taking deep breaths, then I laid flat down on my back and raise my body up and did the same thing frontwards and did my tree pose, warrior pose and then throw them all together with some kung-fu elements. Shakur looked amazed and Brutus felt like he was completely blown away by what I did. After showing them off, I concluded it with sitting down with my legs crossed, closed my eyes and thought peaceful thoughts.

Shakur smiled at me and told Brutus, "I can tell that he's been practicing. Kid's got potential."

"I can tell. He's been working really hard." Brutus added.

I opened my eyes and I asked, "How was I?"

"You were excellent, Saki. Just excellent."

"Thanks. Hopefully, it'll grow on me when I get older."

"I think it already has."

So since my yoga training, I've been doing my yoga skills in my room or even outside where it's peaceful. What started as only once a week or twice a week grew to doing it every early morning to hopefully escape the stress factor of what might happen every day. Whatever it takes to get me through, it's that simple exercise that'll help me adapt into finding peace within myself.

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><p>Animation Universe 2005: So, that's how you do yoga. Bet that helped you.<p>

Musaki: Yep. I'm trying to do tai chi now, though Shifu has kept me in check if I mess up a few. I have Shakur to thank for that.

Animation Universe 2005: Well, stick around for more and next chapter, you'll see the debut of Musaki's first dance.

Musaki: We would appreciate it if you guys left a review for us. Until the next chapter, I'm going to do some serious yoga.

Animation Universe 2005: Hopefully, that won't go to his head.


	24. Learning to Dance

So, here is where I learn how to dance for the first time. All in one of the worst seasons of my life where one night brought me a little joy. Just a little.

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><p>Chapter 24: Learning to Dance<p>

Winter comes along and everyone's getting into the holiday spirit at the orphanage...well except for me. Even at age 11, winter is still a brutal season for me because the memory of my parents' death is still playing in my head, like it'll never be forgotten. Soon, I looked at the window and there's snow falling down and the sight of it made me feel more lonely and depressed than ever. Then, I sat down at my bed and laid down on my side while curling myself up and I just didn't care about winter at all.

Then, the door opens and it's Ms. Faye coming in the room and she saw me in my usual position and she said, "Musaki, we have a little activity we're doing later this evening."

I didn't respond or even look at her because I was too sad and depressed to notice. She sighed and said, "I know winter is not your favorite season, but you're just gonna have to participate somehow."

"Why?" I asked.

"We are having a dance tonight."

I sat up and I looked at her and asked, "A dance?"

"Yes."

I was really hesitant about the dance and I said, softly, "I don't know how to."

"You never know unless you try. I'm just asking you...can you please come over?"

I was very reluctant of the fact that who would want to dance with a skinny panda like me. She could see through my insecurity and grabs my hand and said, "Don't worry about what anyone will say about the way you are. You are perfectly born this way and nothing will change that. Anyone would love to dance with you."

"How do you know?"

"Because there is something special about you."

I scoffed at her and asked, "What's special about me?"

"You're sweet, kind, smart and very talented. You just have to believe in yourself."

I sighed heavily and I wasn't really sure about this whole thing, but what she said kinda made sense. I never knew what I would be missing out on because of my permanent grieving. I let out a deep sigh and said, "Okay."

Later on, everyone was getting ready for the dance and when I came out, I just showed up and I wasn't sure what to expect from it, other than the fact that they're gonna have this winter dance. Brutus and Shakur came in and they had on some capes and stuff and I said, "Looking good."

"Thanks, Saki. Excited for the dance?"

"Not really sure. I don't even know how to."

"Just follow the music. And the dancing will take care of itself."

Suddenly, not long after, the music starts playing and as everyone's dancing, I'm sitting down on one of the chairs just watching them dance. Brutus saw me sitting down watching them. He knows that I'm very shy around everyone and he immediately walked up to me and said, "Remember what I told you-just follow the music."

"Where is it going?"

"Just try to dance."

"Okay."

He walks off and I tried my best to think of something. Suddenly, I saw my feet tapping and it feels kinda weird. Then, one bunny comes along and asked, "Are you dancing?"

"I don't even know how to." I said, nervously.

"Watch me."

He starts showing off some amazing moves and I was impressed by it. I tried to do some and I was still reluctant to dance. He sees this and said, "Just watch what I do."

He slides around, then criss-crosses and does some breakdancing and all the other stuff. I was feeling very intimidated, but as soon as my shoulder started getting into the rhythm, I suddenly let go and just did everything he did, which made me feel impressed. Then, I went around the center and just started dancing.

Then, some others saw me trying to and they all helped me out to show me how to and for a couple of minutes, I started copying everything they did and I was pretty much a fast-learner. It's like a new wave of confidence just splashed all over me and I couldn't even explain what it felt like. After that, I didn't realize how much fun I had with this and think that maybe it's not so bad after all.

Later on, everyone started slow-dancing. I already learned how to dance quickly with the rhythm and stuff, but never slow-danced. Once again, I was still reluctant to it and I sat back there just watching them and then one girl-a wolf-sat down next to me and I wasn't sure if she didn't know how to dance or if she just needed a break. When I looked at her, she looked really pretty.

She stared at me and asked, "What are you looking at?"

I was nervous and I said, "I'm sorry. I...I just didn't see you sitting here."

"Yeah, I sat down to sorta take a breather from all that dancing."

"Me too."

It was kinda awkward for a while and then she asked me, "What's your name?"

"Musaki. Yours?"

"Zhang."

"Nice name."

"Why aren't you dancing?"

"I don't know how to slow dance. I just did some crazy dancing a few minutes ago."

"Oh, yeah. I saw that. It's really awesome."

"Thanks."

"Well, lucky for you, I know how to slow-dance."

"You do?"

"Yeah, come with me."

We got up and she took me towards the center and taught me to slow-dance. I had my hands on her hips and she had hers on mine and she puts her hand on my shoulder and just started dancing slowly. It felt kinda awkward for a while, but I had to find the courage to try this out. As the music swells, we danced faster and I just let the nerves fade away and I continued dance. Then, she looked me in the eyes and she told me, "You learn fast."

"I've never danced with anyone like this before."

"You shouldn't be shy about it."

"This is my first time doing this."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm usually in my room all the time."

"For how long?"

"Eight years."

"And you don't have a family yet?"

"No. Kinda scared to because who would adopt someone like me?"

"I get what you're saying. I have those kinds of feelings as well."

"Guess the chances are slim."

"But it'll get better because I'm very hopeful someone will adopt me for just me."

"Me too."

Then, the slow song ends and we both looked at each other and I was kinda blushing a little and she laughed nervously and I said, "Thanks for teaching me how to slow-dance."

"You're welcome, Musaki."

Later on, I started slow-dancing with others and it seems as though this dance seems like fun. When it was all over, Brutus smiled at me and asked, "Had fun?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Saw you slow dancing. I knew you would have a good time."

I have to admit, it was a lot of fun. I didn't think it would be like this until tonight. So, I just sat down in my room and went to sleep and for the first time in my life, it feels as if things might be better...almost.

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><p>Animation Universe: So there you have it. I bet this is the first time you danced with a girl, who's a wolf.<p>

Musaki: (chuckles nervously): Yeah, I guess. When you're 11, you sorta change a little bit and when you dance with a girl for the first time, it kinda feels awkward. I never danced with a girl before.

Animation Universe: Yeah, I know how you feel. But at least you got your start with dancing.

Musaki: True.

Animation Universe: Well, there you have it. Sorry I hadn't posted this earlier. I was a little late so I apologize. Anyways, please read and review and stick around for the next chapter!


	25. Letting Go of my Grief

From age three to 12, I've been suffering from grief and sorrow over my parents' death until this day when Brutus explains something to me to sorta help soothe the sonic emotional blow of my grief and also a little memory quote from my father that triggers me to realize that life goes on and that when people you love die, they'll always be with you. Something I never even realized or have ever been taught before.

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><p>Chapter 25: Letting Go of My Grief<p>

Another year has passed by and I'm still in my room, trying to find peace within myself while doing yoga. Also, I'm reaching a new factor in my life that I am 12 years old. It kinda feels scary knowing that this is the age I'm in and how I'm that close to be a teenager.

I was meditating, hoping to find some inner peace as I keep thinking about so many peaceful thoughts. Although, it's been nine years since my parents' death, I think I'm trying to move forward with it because I spent most of my childhood grieving over the loss of my parents, but often times it's kinda hard for me to move on.

I opened my eyes and stood up for a while and just went out of the room for a second and just took a walk and then, I went to the picnic table and just sat there under the tree watching the other kids play. I'm kinda too shy to be around people somewhat closer to my age or some that are older than me, because who would accept me for me?

Not even growing older will help me get over the scars that have been left behind since my parents died as well as bad memories of being teased and tormented by bullies since I've been here. Those kind of feelings will never go away.

Suddenly, Eli walks past me and then told me, "Hey, worthless!"

I didn't even turn around or even cared to respond, so I just said nothing and then he kept calling me and calling me and calling me and I still remained quiet because unlike him, I've been a little more mature than him. He grew more angrier and then, he did the unthinkable-he punched me in the nose and in the face and I fell down on the ground.

He stood up, went in front of me and got up in my face and said, "Are you deaf or something?"

I just stood silent while looking at him in the eye and I knew that if I would respond, that would mean he would win this situation, but I was determined not to let it get to my head and try to stay cool. He stared at me and asked, "Are you gonna say something?"

My response was only a nod and he didn't take that very well. He breathed sharply and started growling at me and as soon as I walked away from him, he quickly grabbed my ankle and dragged me off to the tree and he started beating me up and just bashed my head against a tree.

I groaned in pain and then he threw me across the yard and landed on the ground. Eli quickly pounced on my back and grabbed my neck and I started screaming in pain.

"Let me go! It hurts!" I cried out.

"Oh, now you can talk? This is what will happen if you don't do a single thing I said!"

He grabbed my leg and tried to twist it and I screamed in deep pain and agony and I just felt completely helpless and I said, "Leave me alone!"

Then, Brutus came over and saw me being tortured by him, so he ran up to Eli, pushed him down and said, "Let go of him!"

"Who says?"

He picks Eli up and looks at him in the eye and said, "Me and my brother have been watching you make Musaki's life miserable and it makes me mad."

"Who do you think you are? You don't even know me. "

"You better watch who you're talking to. And don't tell me I never saw you harming Musaki or any other orphan. I've seen you bullying him and saying that he'll never be adopted because of the way he is. You think it's cool of you to do these kinds of things? I don't! So, you have clearly messed with the wrong person who's been through a lot. Next time, if I see or hear you bother Musaki again, trust me when I say it ain't gonna be pretty. Got that?"

Eli just scoffs and said, "Whatever."

He sets him down and just walks off but not before looking at me and said, "You're just lucky you got off easy, you ugly piece of trash!"

"Leave!" Brutus exclaims.

As soon as he leaves, Brutus looks at me and asked, "You okay, kid? That guy is bad news."

I got up and dusted myself off and said, "Well, I've taken many beatings from him for two years along with him and some tigers."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'll make sure that if they do that again, they'll definitely get what's coming to them. I mean, I can't believe he called you 'ugly.'"

"Maybe that's how I am."

Brutus was actually shocked to hear that and he said, "You're not ugly. Why would you think that?"

"For the past several years, I've been called 'ugly' to my face by bullies, saying that no family will adopt me because I'm a skinny panda."

"Don't you know that a family will love you for only you? Who cares what they think? What matters is that you are perfect just the way you are. You just have to believe in that and someone will adopt you, but you have to let go of the past so you can have a future."

I sighed sadly and said, " I know, I know. Sometimes...I feel like...I'm just not good enough for them. I just don't wanna forget about my parents."

"And you won't. Because you know why? They're looking down on you in the sky, just watching over you in heaven."

I looked up and all I could see were clouds. I was thinking that it wasn't really true, but Brutus told me to look again and as I looked up, something clicked me and I can remember my dad saying something to me when I was a baby cub that might've helped me a little.

_'My son, look at the sky. All of those stars that are shining are your ancestors. They're all looking down on us, knowing that they are here for us. Even though we can't see them in person, we can feel their spirit. So whenever you feel alone, know that those stars will be there to look after you...and so will me and your mother. And when one of us goes up in the sky, we will be waiting for you and we'll be together again.'_

It's like one part of my past has been forgotten and when it went in my head, it made sense. I widened my eyes and whispered, "That's right. I remember it now."

Then, I turned to Brutus and asked, "Are they really looking down on me from heaven?"

"When a loved one passes, they watch over you and they're waiting for you until you reunite them and you'll be together forever...in spirit."

I was definitely most amazed when Brutus told me that I can see my parents when I die. My eyes were welling up with tears and I was completely blown away by this. I gave Brutus a hug and just cried in his arms. He whispered, "They're looking down at you in the sky."

Then, I went back to my room and started playing my flute, hoping to sort of ease my pain a little bit. It was the first time that I was able to really see that my parents are no longer here, but I felt like they were here in spirit. As I was playing, I kept imagine what it would be like if I went to heaven and saw my parents. That would be cool because I've been through so much.

After that, I looked up the window and looked to the sky, just thinking about my parents. For a long time, I felt like this emotional pain of my parents' death wasn't gonna stop, but after what Brutus told me, I felt like no matter what, my parents will be there for me while they're in heaven.

Brutus then came in and said, "How you holding up?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Musaki, I've been through that same road before about not getting over someone that you love has been dead. The pain feels worse and sometimes it's very hard to get over it. But Shakur told me that they may be gone, but we can still feel their spirit. We miss them, but they wouldn't want to see us be sorrowful and sad all the time. They want us to move forward and just be happy. Most times, I was scared that one day I might forget about them, but I never did. Shakur told me that we'll keep the memories of our parents alive and just...live life and not miss out on anything."

What he said pretty much made sense to me. Just talking about it still hurts, but at least it'll help me deal with the loss. I looked at him and asked, "What should I do?"

"Just move forward. I'm gonna give you a little quote that my father gave me and Shakur. The quote is, 'Even though things happen for a reason and we may not know why, don't let this situation get you down. Just be strong and overcome whatever life throws at you.' You have overcame a lot since you've been here and I'm confident that someone will adopt you. It'll happen someday. I promise. Sometimes, it's hard to accept that they're not here anymore, but you have to remember-it's just a part of life. And I know that your parents will be proud of you for having a happy life."

I nodded my head and he patted my head and walked off the room. As soon as he left, I just felt like there has always been this big wound inside of me that has been there when I was three when I saw my parents die and it left me really sad and lonely for so many years, but after hearing what Brutus said, I know that my parents wouldn't want me to be sad over this. I looked down on my necklace and read what it said on the back, 'You Are Not Alone for I am here with you, though we're far away, I am here to say for you are not alone for I am here with you, though we're far apart, we're always in your heart for you are not alone'.

It kinda helped me heal all the hurt I've been through since I've been at the orphanage just dealing with a lot of things that I've been through in my life. The necklace lets me know that they're still alive in my heart and that I should accept it. I don't wanna live my life in sadness over my parents' death anymore and I decided to just get used to the fact that they're gone but never forgotten.

I sat down on the floor and started meditating. While doing that, it's safe to say that I'm gonna be okay even though it's been nine years. Still, it hurts to even talk about it, but at least I know I'll make it through the day and they're at peace now and they would want me to live in peace. Hopefully, a family will adopt me, but I still have my doubts. I don't know yet, but I hope that it'll happen.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe: I guess it stuck with you, huh?<p>

Musaki: Yeah. I never understood it then, but now I do. Even though it may be hard for me, I know that I will see my parents again when I die.

Animation Universe: Look where you're at now. You've come a long way.

Musaki: I've been through so much, but it was worth it in the end.

Animation Universe: If anyone has ever lost a loved one before, you know how Musaki feels. I hope you liked this chapter and we will have more, so stick around. Don't forget to read and review, please!


	26. Speaking Out About My Past

The hardest thing for me to do is to tell someone about my past. But what do I do when someone comes in and wants me to tell it all? I got over it, but it still hurts to even talk about it. And here's how it went...

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><p>Chapter 26: Speaking Out About My Past<p>

About two months later, I was sitting down in my room and looking out at the window just looking up at the sky and kept wondering what heaven is like. The quote that my dad made when I was cub kept me wishing for hope, but sometimes it kinda diminishes away the fact that the wound is still deeper than ever. For nine years, I've been living in isolation after their death and also felt unsure of myself if someone will adopt me, because I'm different than other pandas. It's like I feel as if I don't belong here with the others.

Even though I finally got over my parents' death, it still hurts to talk or even think about what happened. To sooth my nerves, I grab my flute, walk out of the room, head over to an empty room and I just sit down and play my flute for a while. The sound of it helps me with my depression as it always been after my parents' died and I feel like I want to let go of every sad feeling I ever had, but sometimes it doesn't stop it from feeling hurt.

I held one long note from my flute and then I stopped, because I felt like crying. I've been through so much crap over the years since I've been at this orphange and so many things hit-fear, anger, sorrow, sadness, being bullied. It's like haven't I been through enough already? I was only 12 and I still felt like I was in a fragile place.

As I left the room and made my way to the hallway, I saw Ms. Faye walking by me and she told me, "How you doing?"

"Fine, I guess." I replied sadly.

"Listen, I just came here to tell you there there might be a possible chance that you can get adopted."

I looked up at her and asked, "How can you be so sure? Look at me. What do you see?"

She looked at me, but she never focused on the way I am or the way I look. She focused on my eyes and she replied, "I see a young panda who's been through so much suffering, but is hopeful to be adopted if he wants to have a family. But he has to stop thinking about how he looks and focus more on how a family will love him...if given the chance."

I sighed sadly because I knew that I've been unsure of myself if a family would adopt me or not and because I've been bullied miserablly for seven years that made me feel insecure about myself and it's been holding me back since I've been in mourning.

"I just came to tell you-someone from the Jade Palace has come here to talk with you. I told him everything about you and felt like you needed someone to listen to you about your past."

I was nervous about it because when she said 'the Jade Palace', it was something very important. I turned to her and asked, "Who would want to talk with me? I'm not worthy to be in their prescence."

"But he is very willing to listen to you."

I sighed softly and felt like there was no possible way to not accept this, so I turned to her and I reluctantly said, "Okay."

"Good. I'll tell him that you're ready."

I walked off and went to my room and while I was there, so many thoughts were racing through my head, like the last thing I needed was some stranger to listen to me talk about my past. It still hurts to even talk about the situation that happened and I wasn't sure if I was ready to do that yet. My thoughts were, 'What did I get myself into?'

I sat down on my bed with my hands covering my face, like I didn't know what to do at this point. Then, the door opens and when I looked up, the person was a wolf. He looked at me and said, "Are you Musaki?"

"Yes." I replied, hesitantly.

"My name is Chung-Xi. I'm Master Oogway's advisor to the Jade Palace. I heard that you had some problems while you were at the orphanage."

"You could say that."

"Why don't we sit down and talk about it?"

I already sat down and the wolf sat down on the floor and he looked at me and asked me, "How long have been here?"

"9 years."

"And how old are you?"

"Is that a random question?"

"Just want to know."

"12."

"And you've been here since-"

"3."

"Can you tell me exactly what happened back when you were three?"

I knew that it was too soon to even talk about this because I still feel some hurt over this ordeal and I covered my head and kept silent. He could tell that it was that traumatic and just that painful. Almost an hour has passed by and the wolf grabbed my paw and said, "You can still talk to me about if you want."

I raised my head up with there were tears coming out of my eyes and I said, "Are you sure?"

"I'm willing to listen to you."

I knew that there was no way out of this, but I could tell that he's compassionate and caring and is willing to hear me talk about it. I let out a heavy sigh and I said, "Okay."

"Now we're getting somewhere."

I cleared my throat and said, "I was three years old. Me and my parents were in a little place called Rainbow Canyon in Eastern China. One day, a ferocious beast came out and tried to kill my parents. When he looked at me, he wanted to kill me, but my parents tried to protect me and kept me from getting hurt. And then..."

I paused for a second, because there were tears coming out and I started to cry, but I was able to try to tell him everything. I continued, tearfully, "...Then that beast dropped my parents 30 feet down and I watched them die. Then, he came after me and wanted to kill me, but some rhino guards came and took him away. I wanted to find where my parents were and when I got there, I saw them laying down lifeless. I tried to wake them up, but they wouldn't move. I could've saved them. I've been in deep grieving for so long and I still miss them."

"So, your parents risked their lives to keep you alive." Chung-Xi said.

"Uh-huh."

"I can tell that they're very selfless. That ferocious beast-what did he look like?"

"He was tall, sharp teeth and had...orange eyes."

Chung-Xi already knew who he was and he asked, "Was it Tai Lung?"

"Yes."

"And how come you weren't adopted yet?"

"Because...I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"What if they don't want me? They wouldn't want a skinny, small panda like me. And what if the same tragedy happens again? I just don't want to feel like a burden of going back to what happened when I was three and kept missing my parents."

Chung-Xi grabs my hand and said, "Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm ugly."

"Don't say that. You're a good person just the way you are. Any family would love to adopt you, but the question is are you willing to give it a chance? I know you've been through a lot in your past, but it'll never make you who you are. If it wasn't for your parents, you wouldn't be here. Why do you shut yourself away from everyone every year?"

"Because I have a trust issue with everyone."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I've been bullied a lot and sometimes, it's hard to find some friends that accept me for me. When they look at me, they think that a panda should be big and fat. I've been teased of being skinny and I've been told that no family would adopt someone like me. It still hurts to even talk about it."

"Well, what would happen if I told you that someone would take you to a home where you can find yourself and feel at peace and that you wouldn't have to worry anymore about finding a family?"

"How is that gonna happen?"

"How about the Jade Palace?"

It kinda lit me up a little and I said, "That would be great. But it's home to the kung-fu masters. I'm not worthy to be in their prescence."

"But you can give it some thought. Things will get better, you'll see. Are you still mourning?"

"Not anymore. I got over it a couple of weeks ago, but it still hurts to talk about it."

"You talked about it to me."

"Because I felt like I can trust you."

"Well, that's a first step. The next step would be trusting others who are willing to help you get over this ordeal. Don't worry, you'll be okay."

Then, he gives me a hug and I felt like I kinda needed one and I whispered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Then, he gets up and said, "I appreciate your time talking with you."

"I appreciate you listening to me."

He leaves the room and I laid down on the bed, just looking up at the ceiling, thinking about what would it be like to live in the Jade Palace. It'd be so cool, but the chances of that are very slim and I wasn't quite sure if that'll happen, but I'm hoping.

Later, Chung-Xi went outside and caught up with Ms. Faye and said, "Well, thank you for your time. It's time for me to head back."

"Well, thank you very much. Was he able to talk to you?"

"Yes, he was. This kid's been through a lot."

"Yes. It's been very hard on him."

"Maybe he can be adjusted to the Jade Palace. I'm thinking that he might be happy there."

"That'd be wonderful. I'll just have to run it up to Master Shifu and we'll go from there."

"Okay, thanks."

As soon as he left, she looked kinda happy about it, but she was still worried about how I'll have a new life with a new family. When will I get adopted is still unknown at this point, but at least I can wish to have a new life.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Took a lot of guts.<p>

Musaki: It still hurts to talk about it to this day, but I had to swallow my fear and just explain everything to him.

Animation Universe 2005: That's a sign of courage.

Musaki: Well, now I know.

Animation Universe 2005: Read and review, folks! And stick around for a new chapter!


	27. Trying to Get Out More

Here's how I try my hardest to at least have some fun.

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><p>Chapter 27: Trying to Get Out More<p>

It's been months since I've opened up about my past to anyone before and I saw the leaves beginning to fall from the trees and I was just sitting outside, watching them fall down the ground. For some reason, I felt like I need to get out more because being in my room all the time can be a little boring and depressing. Those reasons are because I'm shy around anyone and I'm kinda insecure about who my friends are and that I have a trust issue when it comes to making new friends.

Then, I heard some laughter coming from the background and there were a few orphans running around in different costumes and masks on. I chuckled softly and figured that they were just playing around and things like that. One of them looked at me and asked, "What are you gonna be on Halloween?"

I looked at them confused-like and asked, "Halloween?"

They both gasped and another one asked me in shock, "You've never celebrated Halloween before?"

"Never. I did one time, but I don't actually remember."

"Do you have your own costume?"

"Or mask?"

I nodded my head slowly because I never actually did something like this before because I was always in my room every year. One kid came up to me and said, "You should celebrate it and join in on the fun."

"Yeah, you get to pretend like you're a monster, listen to scary stories and have some candy."

I was very reluctant about this until Shakur came up to me and said, "These kids are right. I think it's time for you to have some fun in your life."

I turned around and said, "Is it that possible?"

"You've been sad for too long and I think you ought to get back into the Halloween spirit."

He then gives me a warrior costume which contains a robe and a straw hat. I looked at them and I asked, "Where'd you find this?"

"Costume shop. Try it on."

"Okay."

Minutes later, Shakur was waiting for me near the door to see what I look like in this costume and then I came out of the room and I feel like I looked completely different. Shakur chuckled and said, "Master Musaki...such an honor to meet you."

I kinda made a small laugh at the comment and Shakur said, "Was that a smile?"

"What?"

"Don't fool me. You were smiling."

"Because it was funny."

"That's what I want you to do tonight-just smile."

"I'll try."

When I got there, there were a million kids just having fun and playing while they were just laughing and talking with each other. I began feeling very anxious about this and it was my first time attending something like this that just takes me out of my comfort zone of loneliness that I was content with. I took a deep breath and walked towards everyone and no one even noticed my costume and I thought that this would not be good.

"Hey, nice warrior costume."

One person looked at me and I figured it was a girl. I didn't really know what to say or what to do. All I did was just blush a little and sorta said, "Thanks."

I was pretty much shy around anyone because there were a lot of people there and it's been four years since I've ever been to one and I wasn't used to get a compliment from most of the orphans, because to them I'm too skinny. Soon, I saw some of the other kids going trick-or-treating and I thought that maybe I should join in, but I wasn't sure about it. Ms. Faye came over to me and said, "You can go trick-or-treating with the others if you want."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course. After all, you should be having fun."

"I don't know..."

"Musaki...give it a try at least."

She gave me a halloween bag and persuaded me to go out with them. I looked back and she nodded her head, thinking that it'll be fun and I reluctantly went in with the others as we all went trick-or-treating around the Valley. We've been through a few houses and a few villages to get candy.

As I look around the Valley, I've never seen the place look so amazing and Halloween-like. To me, it seems like everyone's getting into the Halloween spirit there. Then, we went into this noodle shop where all of the kids were bombarded by candy given by the owner. I had quite a few pieces but I managed to get a few more to the owner's persuasion.

After only an hour, we eventually went back to the orphanage and that's where we gathered around for a scary story told by Brutus. He dimmed the lights and held a lantern as we all gathered around to listen about the tale of the Vampire Panther.

"...Then, there was no escape for the young cub. He heard several footsteps coming in and he tries to leave, but then...he was surrounding him with these long jagged claws, scary-looking teeth that drips massive amounts of blood with ugly wings and his red eyes were hideous. And his favorite blood he loves to drink was...CHILDREN'S BLOOD!"

We all startled in fear and I was very scared to hear how it ends. Brutus continued on and said, "So, whatever you do kids, do not fall asleep at night because if you do...the vampire panther will come over to your bed and suck the life out of you!"

Shakur came in with this panther mask with vampire fangs in it and we all screamed in fear as we ran out of the room very terrified. I immediately ran and then I tripped and fell down on the ground, trying to get away. I panted furiously and then Brutus came in and said, "Musaki, it's just a story."

I stood up and Shakur came in with the mask and said, "Musaki...you better not sleep tonight."

I gasped in fear and Shakur took off his mask and started laughing. I sighed softly and then Brutus said, "Don't worry, there's no such thing as a Vampire Panther."

I sighed in relief and held my chest for a sec and said, "That's good. But that was an awesome story."

"Yeah, it felt good."

"So, how did you like the Halloween party?"

"Pretty good, I guess."

"See, what I told ya? You went and had some fun." Brutus said, happily.

"I guess I did."

"Don't just guess. You know you did."

"Okay, maybe I did."

They both started laughing and then I started laughing as well. Shakur said, "Happy Halloween, Musaki."

"Thanks. You too." I said, happily.

"Get some sleep."

"Okay."

I walked back to my room and then I realized that there was this feeling over me. I wasn't sure what it was, but after that Halloween thing, it just felt like I actually had a great time without even thinking about my parents. I felt a little guilty about not thinking about them at first, but then I realized that maybe it's for the best that I just had some fun. I sat down on my bed and then fell asleep. As I looked at the window, the moon shone brighter and I know that my parents are watching over me in heaven.

I smiled and said, "Good night mom, dad."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: So you had fun, huh?<p>

Musaki: I guess you can say that. To be honest, I didn't really want to go, but then I realized like why not, it'll be fun. I didn't know what it felt like after trick-or-treating.

Animation Universe 2005: You had a great time.

Musaki: I guess I did.

Animation Universe 2005: Well, that's awesome. Now please read and review this chapter and I'll post a new chapter pretty soon! Stick around for more!


	28. What's it Like to Grow Up

Sometimes I wondered what's it like to grow up? Most times, it gets scary for me. Being older is one thing, but going from a kid to a teenager, that's kind of the scary point for me.

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><p>Chapter 28: What's it Like to Grow Up<p>

A week has passed by and I start to wonder what it's like being 12 and that I'm closer to being 13. I look at myself in the mirror and sometimes, I feel as if I'm not the same person I looked like when I was here like I went from young cub to almost a teenage panda. It's like who am I and who is the person staring back at me?

What bothers me most of all is that my parents are not here to see me grow up so quickly. I know that without them around, it feels as if nothing really matters anymore.

I went to my bed and just covered my face with my paws just thinking and feeling a lot of things wrapping around my brain. Are there signs about me growing up? Is it a bad thing? What really goes on at 12 years old?

It's like a neverending array of questions that just refuses to shut itself up. I let out a heavy sigh as I look up at the ceiling with so many thoughts in my head and most times, I feel like nothing makes sense at all.

To drown it all out, I decided to just write something that'll help me cope through many obstacles and challenges-just getting older, growing up or anything that seeps in my head. I took out a piece of paper and started writing and within a few seconds, took my guitar and started singing. As I strummed my guitar, I started warming up my voice a little and then proceeded to sing.

_Do you feel cold and lost_

_in desperation?_

_You build up hope_

_but failure's all you've known_

_Remember all the sadness_

_and frustration?_

_And let it go..._

_Let it go..._

Then, I looked at what I wrote and I just thought to myself, 'Yeah, that's my situation'. And most times, every situation I've been in only made me feel worse with all the crap I put up with in nine years, including grief, loneliness, bullying, hurt and sorrow.

I wasn't sure what to do and how do I deal with growing up. It just feels scary.

"Hey, Musaki. Are you okay?"

I looked up and there's Brutus coming over and he sees that I'm in a tough situation and he comes in and asked, "Anything you wanna talk about?"

I sighed sadly and told him, "Am I growing up too fast?"

"No, but you have been growing a little."

"It just feels really scary knowing that I'm gonna be a teenager. I mean, here, there are so many kids older than me and even most of them make fun of me being of the way I am and think that pandas shouldn't be skinny or no parents will ever adopt you. What do I do to ease those issues?"

"One thing-stop worrying about what other people think. Second, you should enjoy it. You've got the rest of your life to be a grown-up. Most times, you wish you were a kid again and just be free, but then as soon as adulthood comes in, it's limited. You've got responsibilites and all this other stuff. I asked myself those questions when I was your age, but then I realized that it's not so bad. In life, we all have our obstacles, but you have to be strong and overcome whatever comes in your way."

"So, I shouldn't worry?"

"No. There will be some challenges in your life as a teenager. But the important thing is you have to make right choices when something goes wrong. I know that you'll go through with whatever life throws at you and you'll rise up stronger than ever."

It kinda lit me up, but it doesn't soften the blow of what it's like to be 12, because it might mean I have to kiss my childhood goodbye. I looked at Brutus and asked, "Is my childhood really gone?"

"When you're a teenager, childhood is pretty much over. Things about you change rapidly as you grow maturely and grow into an adult. But you know what's good? You get to keep all the memories of yourself as a kid and never forget the important things in your life."

What he said made a little sense. It's just that I've been through a lot of sorrow and anguish for the last 9 years and that I'm almost 13, I just hope it'll be better for me. I looked at him and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Anything else you wanna talk about?"

"Will I ever be adopted?"

"You're just gonna have to find out. You will be adopted soon, but you have to give it a shot. Who knows, maybe you'll be adopted by Master Shifu or some of the kung-fu masters and no matter what, me and Shakur will always be here for you."

"Okay."

Through most of the day, I kept talking to Brutus about what I'll go through and it feels as if I can talk to him about anything and maybe being 12 or 13 won't be so bad, hopefully. I just hope that things will get better for me if I get adopted soon. Just how soon, I don't know, but I'm still hopeful.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Growing up may be scary, but it's not that bad.<p>

Musaki: It was for me back then, but now I'm slowly starting to get used to it.

Animation Universe 2005: And we do get to see you at 13. We're inching closer to where you'll get adopted.

Musaki: Yeah, but the next chapter you'll post in may have some bully harassment and ultimate torture accusing me of being a wannabe look-alike of someone I'm not.

Animation Universe 2005: Can anyone guess who or what it is or which look-alike is he referring to? That he gets teased by? One way to find out the answer is to...wait for the next chapter!


	29. Teasing in Comparison

I did turn 13 though. So this takes in after a week after the Dragon Warrior became the new kung-fu master. I idolized him as well, but sometimes I get mistaken by the Dragon Warrior and end up getting teased by it because I don't look anything like him, yet it didn't stop them from calling me a 'Dragon Warrior wannabe'. You'll see what I mean in this chapter.

Animation Universe 2005: I'd like to point out that this takes place a week after the events of the first KFP movie. For many of you that ask me when will he be adopted, you'll just have to wait and see. Until then, I'll let Musaki take it from here.

* * *

><p>Chapter 29: Teasing in Comparison<p>

Another year has passed by again and of course, I did turn 13. I just sat down in my room for a while and just try to get used into being a teenager. It's like strangely everything around me has changed-my voice, my height and my weight, though it's still the same. I sat down on the floor and just reflect on everything I've been through for 10 years and it felt like it hasn't really been that long since I've been here.

Later, I went outside to just take a little walk and not long after, here comes Ian and Justin walking past me and Justin looked at me and said, "Hey, I didn't know the skinny Dragon Warrior would be here."

Ian started laughing hysterically and gave Justin a high-five on that joke. I looked at them and said, "Very funny."

"Dude, you ought to gain some weight. You're like nearly skin and bones. Why can't you be more like the Dragon Warrior? We've called lots of kids fat a couple of times, but now with the Dragon Warrior being the new kung-fu master, we'll take a pass. You? Not so much."

"Look, just because I look a little bit like the Dragon Warrior doesn't mean I have the same body."

"I'm sure the Dragon Warrior is against the skinny pandas."

"That's because he would defeat him the way he defeated Tai Lung." Justin said.

They both laughed hysterically and kept taunting me about the way I look and walked off. I felt very embarassed to know that I look less like the Dragon Warrior and more like a joke. I don't think I am compared to him and that really bothers me to the extreme.

It's been a week since the Dragon Warrior became famous here and after I heard that he defeated Tai Lung, the same person that killed my parents has been gone. I'd almost forgotten about him and now that this has come forth, it's like I don't have to worry anymore, but what I am worried about is how many people compare me to him and will a family ever adopt me.

As I think about it, everytime I hoped that the comparison couldn't grow worse, it already did.

As soon as I was heading back to my room, I got hit by water balloons. I turned around and I saw Eli there and he taunted me saying, "Come on, Dragon Warrior wannabe! I thought you can handle the pain!"

Every splash felt like extreme torture and wetness all over my fur. Eli lunged at me and attempted to beat me up and punched me in the face, kicked me in the shin and punched me in the stomach. I groaned in pain and fell down to the floor while Eli snickered and grabbed my neck and said, "Can't fight back, huh? You're just a Dragon Warrior wannabe! The real Dragon Warrior will beat you up and destroy you with the Wuxi Finger Hold."

"Hey!"

Eli turns around and sees Brutus coming in and he looked very angry. He asked, "Didn't I tell you to leave Musaki alone?"

"This Dragon Warrior wannabe?"

"He's not a Dragon Warrior wannabe. He's just Musaki."

Eli scoffs at me and said, "Yeah, right. Who would adopt an ugly poser like him?"

"I would!"

"And what, you'll abandon him too?"

"Listen here, kid. If you know what's good for you, you'd leave Musaki alone."

"Why should I?"

"You know, kid. You're really getting on my nerves now. You can't find anything better to do than to torture him?"

"Well, it's fun. I can do it to others and I don't feel guilty about it."

"Well, you should feel guilty about one thing-if someone did that to you, would you still feel not guilty?"

"Who cares?"

Brutus felt like it's like pulling teeth and he said, "Leave Musaki alone. Hasn't he been through enough?"

"The dude is a freak. Even the Dragon Warrior wouldn't take him in because he's a wannabe."

I got up and walked away feeling hurt and Eli just smirked and walked away, leaving Brutus feeling frustrated. As I was walking by, I see some other kids mistakening me as the Dragon Warrior and a few more were taunting me and kept calling me names while they were pointing and laughing at me.

"He's a Dragon Warrior rip-off!"

"I thought the real Dragon Warrior was big!"

"He looks like the skinny version!"

"Dragon Warrior wanna-be!"

"You shouldn't even be here!"

"Gain some weight, you skinny poser!"

It just grew louder and louder and I couldn't take it anymore and then I ran far away and headed straight to my room and just felt this immense amount of anger inside of me and I was so mad that I just had to let it all out.

I got down on my knees and started screaming loudly. Not long after, I broke down sobbing uncontrollably because I felt like it was the straw that broke my back. Being called a Dragon Warrior wannabe really hurts me deeply and I'm an even bigger joke.

Brutus came in the door and he knew that I was deeply angry and upset and he softly said, "Um...I'm sorry."

I couldn't look at him because I was too upset to talk about it and he told me, "What that Eli dude said wasn't true. You're not a Dragon Warrior wannabe. I'm sure the actual Dragon Warrior would accept you for you."

Silence. I just kept silent for a long time and then he slowly put his hand on my back and gave me comfort. He then said, "I know you told me you're a huge fan of the Dragon Warrior, so I wanted to give you this poster of him in hopes that it might make you feel better about yourself as he actually does."

He left it on the floor and just walked out of the room. I raised my head up and then I opened up the poster and in one look, I start thinking to myself, 'He really does look like me.' Only he's big and I'm small and I hav blue eyes and he has green eyes. That explains that I'm not a wannabe and there's a little saying on the bottom that says, 'Believe in yourself and anything is possible. I learned that one the hard way, but it'll help you unleash your inner awesomeness. Never lose sight of it.'

It kinda helped me out a little bit and I stuck it on my wall near the edge of the bed and that way when I look at it, I can feel better about myself. I knew I liked the Dragon Warrior when I first heard of him and now...I look at him as my hero. Not sure why, but in a way, I feel like I definitely look up to him.

I let out a little smile and whispered, "You idolize me."

Then, I walked out of the room and I saw Brutus and to his surprise, I gave him a hug from behind. He turned around and asked, "What was that for?"

"Just felt like it. And thanks for the poster."

He chuckled and hugged me back and said, "Anytime."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: You have so much emotional baggage on your shoulders that it's hard to even try to keep your head up.<p>

Musaki: I've never had someone call me something like that before and it hurts.

Animation Universe 2005: You don't look like the Dragon Warrior at all.

Musaki: I may be in the same species as Po, but I don't have his attributes. He's not against someone like me at all because one even said that the Dragon Warrior is against skinny pandas like me and said that I'm a rip-off of him.

Po: WHAT? They said that to you?

Musaki: (turns around and sees Po): Yeah, they did.

Po: Where are those bullies? I'd like to give them a piece of my mind calling my brother a Dragon Warrior rip-off They'll have to deal with the real me! Monkey, Mantis, Crane, Viper, Tigress...let's give those bullies a piece of their OWN medicine!

Animation Universe 2005 & Musaki: PO, STOP!

Musaki: We better stop him before he does something crazy!

Animation Universe 2005: I'm with you. Uh, in the meantime, feel free to read and review! And stick around to see if Musaki gets adopted! Later! (turns to Po): Whoa, don't kick them in face with a hammer!


	30. Is Today the Day?

Well, you may ask am I gonna get adopted? I'll explain it to you hence the title name...

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><p>Chapter 30: Is Today the Day?<p>

Only 7 and a half weeks passed by and the more I look at that poster of the Dragon Warrior, the more inspired I became...on the inside. On the outside, I'm still nervous about being adopted because so many thoughts kept racing through my mind, like will I ever forget my parents? Will a new family even like me? Or even accept me for the way I am?

All of the doubts are slowly starting to creep inside of my head thinking that it's not gonna happen. It's kinda ironic that I'm still in a fragile place in my life because I have yet to get over the loss of what happened 10 years ago. It's like something is pulling me back to prevent myself from being adopted to another family because I don't want to be a burden to another family for missing my parents too much.

As soon as I try to keep myself together, I heard some voices from Brutus, Shakur and some random person from the Jade Palace discussing about adopting me. I was kinda nervous and maybe a little scared about how will the kung-fu masters will react when they see me come in. My only fear was to be called 'Dragon Warrior wannabe'.

I just sat on the ground with my head hanging down on my head and just felt like this was gonna be the most difficult thing to do. I just looked at myself in the mirror and just let all the tears flow down on my face, though I didn't cry.

"Will I ever have a family?" I asked, tearfully.

Then, the door opens and I see both Brutus and Shakur coming in and I quickly wiped my tears so they wouldn't see me, but Brutus already knows. He said, Hey, Musaki. You okay?"

"I guess."

"You guess?"

"Yeah."

"Have you been crying?"

"No. Not quite."

"But were you about to?"

I was silent for a little while knowing that I was going to cry, but Shakur looked at me and said, "Musaki, it's us. We know you too much to see you break down crying."

I knew I wasn't gonna hide it from them any longer because they always know. I let out a heavy sigh and said, "Okay, I was."

"Knew it. What's on your mind?"

I sat down and told them, "Who would accept someone like me for me? They want someone who's cute, cuddly and maybe even fun to be around with and I'm just...not.

"You have three of those things. You think anyone would adopt just anyone?"

"Yes."

"Anyone would want to adopt you. All you have to do is just be yourself."

"We've always told you-don't worry about what everyone thinks of you or what they expect from you. All you have to do is give them love and they'll always be here for you." Brutus said.

"And today might be that day."

I looked at Shakur confused-like and I asked, "Today?"

"Yes. Someone from the Jade Palace has told me that they're considering you to live there, to be adopted there."

My eyes widened as I heard the term 'living at the Jade Palace.' Meaning I get to actually live with the kung-fu masters. It excited me, but soon the excitement faded away and it was replaced with fear of being rejected by the way I am because I know they have one panda and what if they think of me as a copy of the Dragon Warrior.

I looked up at them and Brutus asked me, "Do you want to?"

"Of course I want to." I replied, nervously.

They could see through my nervousness and immediately knew that I was totally unsure about it and Brutus puts his hand on my shoulder and said, "It's a great opportunity. You often told us you would dream about going there."

"Well, it's the real thing, buddy." Shakur said.

Knowing that they have my support made me feel like I can be adopted because i've been holding myself back for 10 years and they do want to see me happy as well as my parents. I took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll do it."

"That's great to hear."

When they got up, another wolf stepped in my room and introduced himself to us. He clears his throat and said, "Hello, I am Mu Shung. I'm the advisor to the Jade Palace. I understand that you have a Musaki Meng in here."

He looked at me and I responded nervously, but politely, "H-Hello. I'm Musaki Meng, sir."

"Nice to meet you. Brutus and Shakur have told me things about you and everything you've been through. If you want, we can talk about it and see if we can get you adopted here."

I looked kinda nervous to go with him, but Shakur and Brutus smiled at me and that obviously meant that they have my back. So, I went with him and while we were outside, I started explaining everything about what happened to me for the last 10 years and Mu Shung listened to everything I said and he felt extreme sympathy towards me.

"Well, I can assure you that you'll have a new life in the Jade Palace."

"See, that's the thing I'm kinda nervous about. What if some of the kung-fu masters...won't like me? I've been called 'Dragon Warrior wannabe' weeks ago and it's like taht's what I am."

"That's not true. You do look like the Dragon Warrior a little, but you're not him. You're just Musaki. And I know that once you see what these masters do, I guarantee you that you'll feel like you do belong."

What he said made sense and I guess I've been worried too much and maybe it's time for me to just move forward and try to be a part of it. He looked at me and asked, "Think you're up for it?"

He takes out my hand and knowing that I trusted him to explain everything about my past, I told him yes and I shook his hand. He smiled and said, "Excellent."

An hour later, I got my things packed up while Brutus and Shakur waited for me outside and when I came out with Ms. Faye, I gave her a hug and I told her, "Thank you...for everything."

"You're welcome."

"I do appreciate everything you did for me."

"Thank you. I just hope you'll find happiness."

"Me too."

We left the orphanage and as I looked back, it totally felt like I was gonna start a new journey with a new family and hopefully, I might be happy. But there's always something that worries me-will they accept me for me and not for what I look like in comparison? Shakur looked at me and said, "This is a new day for you."

I know that I'll live a new life with my new family and as we venture to the Valley of Peace, I began to see what it's like there. It's like everyone's living in peace and harmony, hence the Valley of Peace. We had to stop and get some lunch at a noodle shop and minutes later, we went back on the way to the Jade Palace. I took a look at the stairs and realized that it's a lot higher to get there. I felt like this could take forever, but as soon as we got to the top, so many things were inside my mind.

What are they like when they see me? Will they like me? Will they disgust me? The questions just kept coming in and out of my head and I just hope that this new life will be a good one.

As soon as we went in the door, the door opens and I see this red panda coming in front of us. One look and I knew-my life would never be the same.

"Hello, Master Shifu. I am Brutus and this is my brother, Shakur. We have come from the Bao Gu Orphanage to bring Musaki in to live with you."

He bowed to them and they bowed back and I bowed to him as well and Shifu looked at me and said, "Pleasure to meet you, young Musaki."

"You too...sir." I said, nervously.

He chuckled softly and said, "You remind me of someone?'

"Who?"

"You remind me of the Dragon Warrior."

I didn't know how to respond to that and I said, "I'm kinda...different from him. I don't know how you'll react when you see me."

"You seem fine to me. Brutus and Shakur, why don't you come in here and we'll discuss it. Musaki, why don't you head off to the Peach Tree for a while?"

"Sure."

I went off to the Peach Tree and when I looked at the tree, I saw an amazing view of the Valley, which literally amazed me. I soon started thinking that I could get used to this and maybe it'll grow on me now that I actually have a new home. Just how I'll adapt to it will be a challenge for me.

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Well, there you go. He's finnaly out of the orphanage, but a small test remains...will anyone accept him as he is?<p>

Musaki: That's a question I still ask myself.

Animation Universe 2005: Next chapter...is actually gonna be a re-write of how Musaki met Po. So, hope ya'll like it and I'll post more ASAP!


	31. How I Met Po

And here's how I met Po and how we can to be friends and also brothers. I know we may think we look alike, but we're totally different from each other, but I guess it's a good thing and he's pretty much the first person I can trust.

Animation Universe 2005: Wanna make a little assumption here...this chapter is a re-write on how Musaki met Po for the first time. For most of you that have already read 'Panda Twins', I made some changes into this chapter, so bear with me.

* * *

><p>Chapter 31: How I Met Po<p>

As I sat there and looked at the view of the valley from up there, I just looked up at the sky just thinking about my parents. I wasn't actually sure if I could get used to have a new family because of the way I am. It's like my insecurities are starting to get to me and what's adding to the nervousness is that these are kung-fu masters. That's the type that I'm intimidated with, thinking that they might see me as a Dragon Warrior wannabe and I don't see it that way.

I just laid there on the ground with so much thoughts racing in my head and so many doubts about myself are filling up inside of me and that they might not like me because they may be harsh or critical if I showed them my moves. I covered my face with my paws and just thought, 'What am I getting myself into?'

I let out a huge heavy sigh and said, "No matter what I do, I'll never be accepted."

Minutes later, I uncovered my paw and saw a pair of green eyes staring at me. I immediately got up and saw that there was a panda who looks like me, but a little different. We stared at each other for a while and it was like looking into a mirror almost. I blinked a few times and I said, "You look...just like me."

"I was thinking the same thing...only you look a little...a little...what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Different?" I asked.

"Yeah, that."

"I get that a lot and most of them...are not that accepting."

It wasn't long until I realized that the person I'm talking to is the Dragon Warrior. I chuckled softly and I asked, "A-are you really the...the Dragon Warrior?"

He nodded and then looked at me with a smile and asked, "Hey, how's it going?"

I was freaking nervous the minute I saw him and also a little scared and I timidly answered, "Fine."

He could tell something was bothering me and he sat down with me and asked, "You okay?"

"Sorta."

"Hey, come on. I don't bite. Speaking of bite, I haven't eaten in a while."

I let out a small chuckle and he stared at me and I kinda kept my mouth shut because I felt like I disrespected him in a sense. I kinda turned away for a bit and he asked, "Why are you scared?"

I was silent for a little while because if I told him, he probably wouldn't care because most warriors never show compassion. At least that's what I thought.

When I looked at him, he seemed kinda concerned but also kinda cool with me. I slowly sat up and I replied, "I'm kinda new here and well...I always thought that you would be kinda...tough."

"When it comes to saving China."

"Yeah, I know."

He puts his hand on my shoulder and lets out a smile and said, "My name's Po. What's yours?"

"I-I'm Musaki."

"So, what brings you by here, Musaki?"

"Um...to get adopted."

When I told him that, his eyes widened up and asked, "Adopted?"

"Yeah. I-"

I paused for second because I know that it still hurts to even put that conversation up for discussion. I sighed heavily and said, "You don't really care, do you?"

"What do you mean 'I don't care?' Of course I would. Don't be afraid to tell me."

I looked into his eyes and see that even though he's a warrior, he seems to be very caring and compassionate and is willing to listen.

"It's okay, little guy."

Hearing what he just said kinda gave me some strength to tell him everything about my past. I took a deep breath and said, "Okay. My parents died when I three. They were actually killed by Tai Lung 10 years ago and since then, I've been filled with hurt, sorrow, anger, frustration, sadness and loneliness after that because I didn't know how to handle those feelings, like I was all alone with no one to care for me. I was at an orphanage for 10 years and I've been bullied throughout that time because I've been called 'skinny panda' because of the way I look. It just really hurt and I never left my room since my parents died and even when I get bullied. I just felt like there was no hope than any family would take me in because of the way I am. I've been told that I would never be adopted to a new family or who would adopt a freak like you or even love you to any of the orphans before and I just lost all hope. I never had any friends at all. I had some but they were adopted and nobody really understands that I had a hard time dealing with my emotional pain and sorrow that I had to go through. No one has to go through something like that. Often times, I get worried if someone will even adopt me for me and be loved and cared for...or even want me in their family and I just don't want to be a burden to them over my constant grieving over my parents. It's kinda hard to get over it when it just happened. So...that's pretty much it."

After I told the story, I saw Po in tears and I didn't know why, but then he went and gave me a hug. It just kinda felt weird for me, but then he looked at me and said, "That's the saddest story I ever heard!"

"Yeah, I know. I still miss them though. I'm kinda over it now, but it still hurts to talk about it."

"Sounds like you've been through a lot in your life. It's like...I just met you and from hearing your story, I can tell you need a friend."

"I'm not sure about that."

"Why not?"

"Would you really want me as a friend?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Because...you'll abandon me and turn against me."

That made Po a little sad to hear what I just told him and he said, "That would never happen, buddy. I'll be your friend."

"Or brother?"

"Brother?"

"Yeah, my guardians told me that...I should live here because I need to be happy where I am."

Po lets out a smile and said, "That would be awesome for you to live here!"

"I know, right? I've been dreaming about this since I was eight and I have always been a fan of kung-fu."

"Get out! Really?"

"Yeah. It kinda started by my dad when I was two and I guess after my parents' died, I kinda gave it up until I was four and that's when I thought that maybe I should learn how to do kung-fu. And when the Furious Five became the biggest kung-fu masters, that's the point where I had to make this a priority in my life like that's what I want to do. So, I totally idolize four of the five members and I guess it brought me here."

"Awesome. Why did you say you idolize only four of the five?"

"I idolize only Monkey, Crane, Viper and Mantis."

"What about Tigress?"

"Not so much a big fan of her."

"Aww, come on! Why not?"

"Nothing against her, but from what I heard, she's kinda...how should I put this? Too hardcore."

"But that's who she is, though she has a softer side."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I live with them-well that and my dad's noodle shop."

"But now I idolize another kung-fu master."

"Who's that?"

"You."

Po looks at me and he really felt surprised about what I said to him and he puts his hand on his chest and asked, "You...you idolize me?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're really great and supercool."

"No one's ever said things to me like that before, except for some young bunnies, pigs and ducks who look up to me."

"It's like you're a role model."

"Nah, I don't feel like it. It's flattering, but I'm still me."

"Yeah. I bet it was crazy when you first started."

"Eight and a half weeks ago, I went from working in a noodle shop to actually saving China. That's really crazy."

"I see. But sometimes...I ask myself am I ever good enough to be a part of their family? I mean, who wants to take in a skinny panda like me? Just a few weeks ago, I've been called 'Dragon Warrior wannabe' thinking that I look like you but I'm skinny and stuff. That really gets me down because you're so cool and I'm just...not."

"I think you're cool. All you have to do is just be yourself and be the best you can be."

I looked at him and I never thought that he'd be this encouraging to me. I asked him, "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Honestly, because I've been where you are. Well, before I was the Dragon Warrior, of course. I always worried about who would accept a big, fat panda like me who does kung-fu? When I was first chosen as the Dragon Warrior, none of the kung-fu masters took me seriously because of the way I am, but once I trained with Master Shifu and defeated Tai Lung, I had to believe in myself and just go after my dreams. Now eight and a half weeks later, I'm the Dragon Warrior. I've been accepted by not only by the kung-fu masters, but all of China."

"Your story is so cool. It's like you came from nothing and turned out to be something."

"Yeah. And you can too."

I was still unsure about living here with the kung-fu masters and I asked, "This might be a stupid question, but am I really a Dragon Warrior wannabe?"

Po looks at me and said, "No. Of course not. Who told you that?"

"Some of the bullies back at the orphanage."

"They just don't know you better. What matters is what you think of yourself."

"What do you think of me?"

"I think you're awesome, cool, and pretty easy to hang out with or talk to. But you have to learn how to trust people and let them in."

"How do I do that?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you're starting."

"But...what about the others? What if...what if they don't like me?"

"They will."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, when the time comes, they'll like you for you."

I didn't know what to expect at first when I met Po. At first, I thought he might be a little bit tough and cool, but after talking with him, he actually seems like a nice person and I felt that if I live here, I can pretty much talk to him about anything. I smiled at him and said, "Okay."

"Cool."

"Hey, Po?"

"Yeah?"

"It'll be really cool to live here."

"I know. Have you ever had a brother before?"

"Never."

"Well, what would you say if you did?"

"Like who?"

"Me."

I gasped in surprise and asked, "You would?"

"Yeah."

"I've never had a brother before."

"Me neither."

We kinda looked at each other and it seems as though we both have a lot in common and for the first time in my life, it feels like I finally found a friend that I can go to at anytime. I ended up hugging him and he hugged me back and he said, "Musaki, can I make you a promise?"

"Sure."

"I promise to be there for you and always be around to help you if it's possible."

"Okay."

"And also-promise me that you'll trust others here as you trust me."

"I promise."

"Here you are."

Then, we saw Shifu with Brutus and Shakur and of course Brutus and Shakur bowed to the Dragon Warrior and he bowed to them back. I introduced them to my guardians and they shook hands.

"Glad you met Musaki, Dragon Warrior."

"Thanks, but call me Po."

"Of course."

Shifu came up to me and said, "I see you have met the Dragon Warrior."

"Yeah, at first I wasn't sure if he would like me or not, but now I feel like I think he's really cool to be around."

"As he always does. We discussed it over and we decided that you are now our new member in the Jade Palace."

I chuckled softly and I just felt so happy that I can actually live here and joy just came back to me that's been hiding from me for 10 years.

"You now live here, Saki." Brutus said.

"Thank you very much."

"Now you know that from here, we do training." Shifu said, sternly.

"Of course. I have been doing kung-fu before and I practiced mostly every night at the orphanage or in the mountains."

"This guy really knows his kung-fu." Shakur said.

"Excellent."

"Well, Saki. I guess it's time we should go." Brutus said.

"You guys are leaving?"

"Yeah. But we'll check in on you from time to time."

"Okay."

I gave both of them a hug and said, "Thank you...for everything you've done for these past 10 years."

"Anytime. If you ever need us for anything, our place is always open for you."

"I will."

"Thank you both very much." Shifu said.

"Thank yourselves. I think Musaki will have a happy life here." Shakur said.

"I know he will."

We all said goodbye to them and as I watch them leave the palace, I kinda felt like this is the one place where I really belong here. It has been my dream to actually be adopted and have a family, but who would've thought that I might be able to actually live with some of the coolest kung-fu masters here? As I look at Po and Shifu, I can tell that this is starting to change my life and as I said, my life would never be the same.

"So, are you ready to meet the Furious Five?" asked Shifu.

"I'm so ready." I said, happily.

"Trust me, they're really awesome."

They walked me through the palace and I was definitely anxious, but excited at the same time to actually meet the Furious Five. The anticipation was killing me and it definitely brought me to a happy place for me.

"What will they be like when I see them?" I asked.

"They're really amazing students as well as good friends to the Dragon Warrior." Shifu explained to me.

"Friends?"

"Yes."

"We're cool...like bananas in a split."

I didn't get that and Shifu sighed heavily and told me, "You'll be hearing a lot of that."

"That's funny though."

Me and Po were laughing and Shifu made a smirk and said, "Kids these days..."

* * *

><p>Musaki: And that's how I met Po. And we've been like brothers ever since.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: You guys are stuck together like glue.

Musaki: Whenever I'm in a jam about anything, he's always that person I can count on to help me through it and he's like a best friend to me.

Po: (in tears): Oh, Lil' Saki! You really think of me as your best friend? (gives him a huge hug) I LOVE YOU!

Musaki: (choking): Po...you're crushing my neck!

Po: (lets go of Musaki; then chuckles nervously): Sorry. I just got caught up in the moment.

Animation Universe 2005: Okay, hate to break-up the brotherhood moment here, but we ought to move on here. You saw how Musaki met Po, next you'll see how he met his heroes and Po's too...the Furious Five.

Musaki: Can't wait to see how it goes!

Po: POST IT NOW! POST IT NOW!

Animation Universe 2005: Guys, chillax please.

Po & Musaki: Sorry.


	32. How I Met the Five

You've seen me meeting Po for the first time and now you'll see how I met my kung-fu heroes (as well as Po's), the Furious Five. Combination of nervousness and happiness that I got to actually meet them. And a touch of embarassment. Don't ask, because I was shy around them the first time and I think you'll see how my nerves took me. Worries of being rejected of the way I am seeps into my brain, but somehow they're pretty much understanding and they have grown to accept me as a person. And I still feel that way, so now you get to see how I was when I first saw them when I moved in here for the first time.

Animation Universe 2005: Before we start, I would just like to point out that this is another re-write of how Musaki met the Five because the last one was kinda...ehhh. If you read my first KFP fic, 'Panda Twins' on the third chapter, you can see that this chapter is a better version of what I did. So, hopefully this one is a better re-write than my previous. Anyways, enjoy! Musaki, you know what to do.

* * *

><p>Chapter 32: How I Met the Five<p>

When we stepped into the training hall, my eyes widened up as I saw the Furious Five in total action. I saw Crane flying on top and dodging some arrows and Tigress was sparring with him. I cared less about Tigress, but her moves are okay. And Mantis went through those little wooden parts and how fast at he was going and my jaw quickly dropped.

And then I saw Viper using her amazing moves and her flexibilities to go past the flames and just watching her just takes my breath away as I marveled at her amazingness. And then Monkey swing around those metal rings which brought me in awe-struck and as for Tigress...she went past those metal spikes they were swinging and broke them off. I was pleasantly surprised, but it was okay overall.

Soon, Shifu called out all the students as they brought to his attention as well as my attention. I was kinda awe-struck, but really nervous about how they'll react when they see me for the first time.

Shifu clears his throat and said, "Students, we have a new member here with us."

Then, he looks at me and wants me to introduce myself to them. I was so nervous, but I kinda geeked out because they are super-cool. I swallowed hard and said, "Hi. Um...my name's Musaki Meng and...I guess I'm a part of your new extended family."

They stared at me and I kinda figured that this would be awkward. I chuckled nervously and then thought to myself, 'Man, what do I say? What do I say?'

Then, I blurted out, "I'm an orphan."

They could see that I'm kinda nervous and really scared and I didn't know what to do if they responded or if they ignored it. I sighed heavily and said, "I'm sorry. You'll have to forgive me for this. I...I kinda get nervous meeting new people and I get sorta shy."

"So, you never really went up to anyone and say 'Hi'?" asked Po.

"Never."

"How shy are you?" asked Viper.

"Right now? Painfully shy."

I was super embarassed and figured I might have them think I'm weird and I turned myself away and try to think of anything else to say, but I was too nervous to say it all and I accidently blurted out, "I am so stupid."

Knowing that they were in the room, I kinda covered my mouth and turned around and they were still staring at me and I just felt so embarassed that it brought me to the point where I blushed.

Mantis was the first to say something and he told me, "We don't take it personally. We kinda have that same reaction when someone sees us for the first time."

"I know. I know. I-I just...I've never actually done this before." I replied.

"You've never said 'hi' to anyone at the orphanage?" asked Tigress.

"No. I was too shy to even do that."

"We understand you." Viper said.

They do? They understand me? It's like something in me was trying to get through to myself to just talk and stuff. So, that kinda brought me in small confidence. I said, "Um...do you guys...like me?"

Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

"Why do you ask?" asked Monkey.

"Well, to be honest, I'm a huge fan of you guys...well only four of you, actually."

"Four?" asked Shifu.

"Yeah."

"Which one are you not a fan of?"

The Five were looking at me like 'Which one of us does not inspire you?' It's like there was no turning back on this and so the only way to get it out of my system was to be honest. So, I took a deep breath and said, "Would you guys be mad if I said I'm not a fan of...Tigress?"

I can tell from her face is that she didn't take it well. Then, Viper asked me, "Why?"

"Because I...kind don't get why everyone is a big fan of her and what's great about her. Her moves are okay. I think that's all I got. And...one time at the orphanage, I really didn't get why everyone was rooting for her and really fell hard for her and at one point, I have this action-figure collection of the Five and...I picked up the Tigress one and-this might be the most stupidest thing to say so maybe if you don't kill me or anything when I tell you this-bit off her head."

"WHAT?" they all exclaimed.

"You bit off Tigress' action-figure head?" asked Crane.

"And spat it out and just placed it back on this box and there was only four left that I...kept."

"Okay, that's kinda weird." Po said.

"Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut."

Monkey looked at me and then looked at Po and figured that we both look like each other, but we're totally different from each other. He asked, "Do you know that you look a little bit like Po?"

I sighed in deep heaviness and knew that someone would say that, like I'm gonna be rejected by my heroes. I covered my face and said, "I knew this would happen."

"What?" asked Viper.

"That someone would mistake me for Po and also that I'm gonna be called a Dragon Warrior wanna-be."

"Musaki-"

"Okay, I look a little bit like him, but I don't have his weight, his height, nor his skills. I'm just a 13 year old panda with blue eyes who's been putting up a lot of crap back at the orphanage that's been living a miserable life for 10 years who just needs to be accepted and loved by a family who loves me for me! Can anybody just quit calling me a Dragon Warrior wanna-be? I AM NOT A DRAGON WARRIOR WANNA-BE! I'M JUST A KID!

I was really upset at that point, but then Shifu and the others looked at me and from the looks of it, it seems as though I'm not making a good first impression. I closed my eyes for a sec, cleared my throat and said, "Can you excuse me for a minute?"

I just went out of the room and stepped outside for a minute, leaving the others in complete silence. As I went outside however, I groaned at myself and told myself, "Why did you do that, Musaki? Now I'm gonna be rejected by the biggest kung-fu masters in China."

This was what I get for being so nervous. Then, Monkey came out and saw me sitting down on the steps feeling embarassed and somewhat stupid and asked, "Are you okay?"

I sighed heavily and I replied, "No. I was so stupid. I mean, here you guys are-the ones I look up to, except for Tigress-and I end up saying things that really shouldn't have been coming out of my mouth."

He could tell that I was just nervous about my first day and didn't really know what to say about it and then he asked me, "Did I offend you after asking me that you look like Po? Not that you do, but..."

I sighed again and replied, "No. I was just sick of being compared to him because I'm not who they think I am."

"If I offended you to make you that upset, I'm really sorry."

"No, I should be. I didn't mean to yell at you guys. It's just...it's my first day of living here and I guess being my nerves just got the better of me."

Monkey puts his hand on my shoulder and he told me, "I understand your nervousness on the first day. I kinda felt the same way when I first came here. When I first saw Master Shifu for the first time, I thought he looked like a raccoon. And then he grabbed my paw and flipped me across the hall. Yeah, I learned my lesson that day-never be fooled by his size because he will take you down."

I chuckled softly and said, "That's embarassing."

"Yeah, I know."

"Again, I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be. It's just your first day."

"I know. It's just...I'm just so nervous about coming here and being able to meet you guys in person. I was really worried that...you guys might not accept me."

"What would make you think that?"

"Because...I'm skinny."

Monkey could see where this was going. He could tell by my insecurities because I was worried that none of them could take me seriously. He told me, "That's what you thought? Why would we do that?"

"Because you're so fierce, athletic, tough and strong and I'm just...the opposite. I'm just worried that I'll be rejected."

"That's not the case."

I turned around and saw Viper coming in and she told me, "You're just like Po when he first came here. I was the only one that gave him a chance because I never came across as mean unlike the rest of them."

She glared at Monkey and then he scoffs and said, "Oh, come on. Name one time I ever said a mean thing about Po when he first came here."

"When we went to the bunkhouse after screwing up his first training, you said he couldn't even see his toes."

"That was just humor."

Then, she turned to me and said, "Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Just accept yourself for who you are and we'll accept you too."

"Are you saying this to feel sorry for me?"

"No, not at all."

"Why would you ask something like that?" asked Monkey.

"I've been through a lot for the past 10 years and of those years, I had a trust issue when it comes to making friends or even involve in coversation because...most of the orphans make fun of me for the way I am and says that no one should adopt someone like me because I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak, Musaki."

I soon heard Crane's voice coming in from behind and told me, "You're just a young kid."

"How do I know that you won't turn away from me or you'll like reject me as a friend?"

"Maybe you'll give us a chance and see how we do things around here, you can get a clear perspective. We're a family and we always look out for each other."

"We don't judge you based on who you look or who you're trying to impress or even who you are. We accept them." Viper said.

"In all honesty, I have to agree with Viper. I mean, take a look at me for example. I'm small, but that doesn't mean I can't do kung-fu. Who cares what people think? All that matters is who you are inside and out." Mantis explained.

Shockingly, me, Viper, Crane and Monkey looked at him with a shocked reaction and Crane dropped his jaw by that remark. Mantis clears his throat and said, "Yes, I learned that for myself, but you get the idea."

"That actually made sense." Viper said.

"I'm also kinda worried about what Tigress would do with me even after I told her I wasn't a fan of hers."

"That's cool. No one else is either."

"They don't?"

"No."

"That's surprising. But she might judge me because I won't measure up like Po."

"Don't worry about what she thinks. Once you get to know her, she'll get used to you. To be honest, most of us had crushes on her, but that didn't last long." Mantis said.

"Well, I kinda did have a crush on someone, but I'll just leave it at that."

"Who do you have as a crush?" asked Monkey.

"Viper."

"Really?" asked Po.

"Yeah, I do."

Viper seemed flattered by that comment and she said, "Um...thank you. You're so likeable, aren't you?"

"There's a lot of things that I am and I never see myself as everything you just said to me."

"From here, we don't insult their intelligence nor judge them for the way they are. We are all equal in our own way."

"Viper is right. We do accept you, but the question is do you accept yourself?" asked Shifu.

It's like everything he said to me just broke through my walls of insecurity and I thought to myself, 'How does he know that?' I knew he was wise, but I never knew he could see right through me and looked at them and they seem to accept me for me and I can accept myself for who I am and I turned to Shifu and said, "Yes, master."

"And we accept you, right?"

"Yes, master." they all said.

"Sorry about my outburst earlier. Think we can start over again?" I asked.

"I would like that." Shifu responded, with a smile.

I stood up, cleared my throat and said, "Hello. My name is Musaki Meng and I would like to be a part of your family."

"Welcome, Young Musaki. I am Master Shifu and these are my students-the Furious Five."

"Hi, I'm Crane."

"I'm Monkey."

"The name's Mantis."

"I'm Viper."

"And I'm Tigress."

"Nice to meet you all." I said.

"And I see you have already met our Dragon Warrior, Po."

"What's up, buddy?" asked Po, happily.

"Not much. Just excited to be here."

"You know, you look a lot like Po...only less big." Monkey said.

"I get that a lot, though at times I get called a wannabe."

"Well, we can assure you that we know who you are and we know for a fact that you are not a Dragon Warrior wannabe. Now students, Musaki is our new member here and I know he looks a little like Po, but he's different and younger and also thinner. He's been in the orphanage for 10 years and I expect all of you to treat him like he's a part of us and all of you will show him what we do around here, just so that he will be full capable of being a kung-fu master. Is that understood?"

"Yes, master."

"And Musaki...I want you to be a part of this team so that you will do what we do to help you unlock your true potential and reveal your inner excellence of self. If you need to talk about anything, please do not hesitate to come to us when you have a problem. Clear?"

"Yes, sir."

They could already tell that I'm definitely stoked to be here. Later, as we got to the bunkhouse in some of the rooms, he shows me where I should be sleeping in. It kinda feels comfortable, more so than what I had at the orphanage. I unpacked a few things and after I got settled, I ended up explaining everything to them about me and my past and it also lead me to where I told them about my parents' death and how it brought me into 10 years of loneliness and sorrow. After I told them about it, all of them felt really sorry for me about this tragedy.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss." Shifu said.

"I bet it's been hard." Mantis said.

"It has been. These past 10 years have been really hard on me and I was worried that someone would reject me to be a part of their family. I'm partially to blame for it because I held myself back because of the way I am."

"10 years? Why did you wait that long?" asked Monkey.

"I was really scared and I just didn't know how to grieve because I didn't know what it was. As I got older, I realized that just because they're gone it doesn't mean I can forget about them and that they're looking down on me in heaven."

"Yes, they are. No matter what, your parents will always be there for you even if they're not actually there. You can feel their spirit in your heart and it never dies." Shifu added.

"And how old were you when all of this happened?" asked Tigress.

"I was three."

"And how did they die exactly?" asked Crane.

"They were actually killed."

"Oh, no. By who?" asked Viper.

"I didn't know, but I had nightmares about it every night after they died because everytime I close my eyes, I see a pair of orange eyes staring at me."

"Was that...Tai Lung?" asked Po.

"I'd forgotten, but I think that was him."

Shifu looked at me and lowered his head and said, "Tai Lung...was my first student and...my son."

My eyes widened at that and I was surprised when I found out that he used to raise Tai Lung. I asked, "You...did?"

"Yes. It was my fault because he was who he was."

"Well, now that he's dead, I feel like I don't have anything to worry anymore, but often times I feel like should I really move forward and be happy?"

"Of course you will. And no matter what, we're here for you." Crane said.

"And that was very brave of you." Viper said.

"It was?"

"Telling us about how your parents died. I know it must've been painful for you to even talk about it, but you were willing to tell us about it."

"I kinda have a trust issue when it comes to making friends. I don't really tell people about my past that much because it still hurts to talk about it except for my guardians and two advisors from here because I can trust them. That's kinda what I felt when I got here, like I wasn't sure if I could open up because you guys might be too busy or not even care. But as soon as I got to know you more for like a few hours, I felt like I'm willing to just talk about it because I already told Po earlier because I think I can trust him."

"It just shows that you have courage. You talked about it to me and now with everyone else." Po said.

"Yeah, but it's nothing special really."

"No, Musaki. Po is right. Sometimes it's hard to talk about a very dark moment in your life and you're scared to talk about it with everyone else because it re-opens all of that hurt and sorrow you felt before, but once you talked about it with us and everything you went through, you just made a breakthrough that you have the courage to open up with a group of people who care about you and it shows. Don't mourn over your loss because death is just a natural part of life." Shifu said.

"All you have to do is let us help you heal those scars that you had and replace those with happiness." Crane added.

"And you have to do whatever it takes to get where you're going." Tigress said.

"I could try." I said, softly.

"And hey, who knows? You might need us for anything." Mantis said.

"Anything?"

"Anything you need, whether if you want to talk or just company, we're here for you." Monkey said, happily.

I just felt warmth all over me and for the first time in my life, I feel like I was home. I closed my eyes and I looked back on all of those ups and downs that I've been through and just to embrace now, it feels like I'm finally moving forward and got myself a second chance.

I smiled at them and said, "Thank you, guys."

"Welcome home, Lil' Saki."

I looked at Po and asked, "What?"

"Lil' Saki. I just thought up of a nickname and I just thought since you're new here, I can give you one that's easy for me to say."

I chuckled and said, "I like it."

* * *

><p>Animation Universe 2005: Was that awesome? Also, that's how the nickname 'Lil' Saki' was born on day one.<p>

Musaki: I still like the nickname and it stuck with me for three years now and most of the Five and Po still call me Lil' Saki, as well as my new friends.

Animation Universe 2005: Well, I think we'll wrap this story up with your final words.

Musaki: And it's a message to those who have read this story for a month and a half. Stick around as I gather my last thoughts about how my life has changed the past three years of living with my adopted kung-fu family.


	33. Final Words

Final words to everyone who took time to read my story and also a thanks for my adopted family for healing those dark emotional scars and wounds that I had when I was three.

* * *

><p>Chapter 33: Final Words<p>

And that's how it came to be and over the course of three years, it has been one of the best three years of my life living with them. The first few months have been a little rough for me because I was still insecure whether I would be used to a new family, especially with Tigress because she's a little bit harsh on me thinking that I won't measure up to being like Po and still having fears of being rejected by my new family because it's all new to me. But as time managed to go on, most of them helped me out to make me feel like I'm home and even put me in some training.

The training was definitely crazy, but I managed to do really well and it impressed most of the Five as well as Po and Shifu and it brought me to where I actually can gain confidence within myself to know that I'm strong enough to do anything.

Speaking of that, being around Po and Shifu, it definitely felt like I can be happy, knowing that both of them are there to help me find peace and happiness within myself. With Po, I feel like I can talk to him about anything and he's like the big brother I never wanted or never had before, but I guess what it all comes down to it, he just makes my day awesomer and he's fun to be around and he can laugh, joke and not too many kung-fu masters do that. But he does. And he's adopted too, so I can relate to him though several situations are different. He's also the kind of person that really understands me and would never judge me and always accepts me not only for the way I am, but he inspires me to be a better person. I always knew that he's my hero and I can see it in my eyes. Now being my actual big brother, it definitely feels like I look up to him every day and he's always there for me and I am thankful for him to be in my life.

Master Shifu, it's like I have a second dad to help show me the way, although, he has been very protective of me and has often told me that he wouldn't make the same mistake as he did with Tai Lung. I can honestly say that he is a definite factor in my life where I feel as if he's the kind of person I would talk to if I ever have a problem or something that I'm going through or anything. He would always listen to my situations and he will tell me how to get through those. He may be strict, but that's how he is to make me be a better person and he's easier to being taught, because I have been taught by the best and I thank him for that. I think Master Oogway has made him proud.

The Five...they're like my extended brothers and sisters in different species, but at the end of the day, they're always awesome at everything they do. I look up to them so much and since I've been here, the tables have turned and they look up to me. Tigress...well I wouldn't be sure because we've always been on each other's throats constantly, but she's cool...when she wants to be. Crane is like my second big brother to me and I always look up to him and whenever he gets the chance to hang with me or do some training, he's there. Monkey is like my third big brother to me and he makes my life easier by making me laugh whenever I'm going through a hard time or when I'm sad and he does his best to make me laugh. He's easier to train with, though. Mantis, I'd have to say that despite his size, he's like my fourth big brother to me in so many ways. I always feel inspired that no matter what size or shape I'm in, the way I am is just fine with me regardless of what everyone else thinks. Viper...she's like the older sister I never had. Actually, I never had an older sister, but at least now I know what it feels like. She's always around to talk with me whenever there's a problem and she always comforts me and she's like another mom to me that I will definitely go to when I need advice. My relationship with them has grown stronger than ever before.

I got to experience life after being in the orphanage in 10 years and I've had some adventures with Po, Shifu and the Five and we've all been through a lot of crazy things that happened to us whether it's perilous or threatening and I actually got to experience what it's like to go in every mission that they go in and it was extremely awesome. Looking back, I've been to so many journeys that it seems that it all seems like everyday is a big chance of risking my life for what's right along with them, but Po, Shifu and the Five always had my back and would always save me from extreme peril for my safety.

But like any family members, they always kept me safe so I wouldn't get hurt. Although, they are a little bit overprotective of me but I always understood why they do it. Because for my safety, they never wanted to see me die. That just shows that they're willing to put their lives on the line for me, which is really amazing and it shows that they really care about me.

I've had so many things happened to me in the last three years-I get to go on missions and adventures with them, I get to see my old friends and meet some new friends, reuniting with my twin brother Zeke, keep up with things I have missed out on in my childhood and to add it all up...seeing my relatives for the first time in so long. It's because of them that I get to experience and enjoy life.

What's different from me now and when I was 13? I'm enjoying my life with my new family and I know that as I grow up, I will do great things and they'll give me all the tools I need in order for me to be awesome in the future. It's been 13 years since my parents died now, but I know that they'll always look out for me in heaven and when I die someday, I'll reunite with them and that'll make me happier. But right now, my kung-fu family makes me happy each and every day. If someone had told me I was gonna live with them, reunite with my twin brother, make some new friends and also meet my relatives from Shanghai Seculded Valley, I would've still stayed in the orphanage.

I'm 16 now and I guess I can just enjoy life with my new family and I thank them for healing my emotional dark scars and wounds that I've kept for so long. And this is where my story about my past ends. Though, my story is just the beginning and there are so many things in my life that I just want to tell more and then some.

I thank you guys for listening about my past and everything I've been through and to my adopted family-I love you guys and I thank you for healing those emotional scars and all the hurt I've been through and exchanged those feelings with love, joy, compassion, wisdom and a sense of belonging...and I will always be grateful for that because my life was dark, hopeless and filled with loneliness and you brought me out of there with your love and your light.

From the bottom of my heart and spirit, thank you.

* * *

><p>Musaki: My thanks to the readers who love to see my backstory and left some reviews and added it on my creators' favorite stories list and also to vampire1031 for letting my creator come up with the title of this story and put it out there. I humbly appreciate it a lot.<p>

Animation Universe 2005: Thank you guys very much for liking this story. You might think it's completed, right? THINK AGAIN! To show our support, the final chapter will be a bonus scene that I should've put in to go with the story. It's a bonus/deleted scene for this story, so if you want to take a guess at it, let us know!


	34. Bonus Chapter: My First Day

Think I'd end it without showing my new family some amazing kung-fu moves? Thanks for the massive support of my backstory, my creator decided to end it with a little deleted scene that he should've done earlier.

Animation Universe 2005: I heard that.

Well, it's true. Besides, in order to be a new member, you have to show them your skills and spar with someone to see if you have it or not. Not to be cocky or anything, but I think I do have it.

Animation Universe 2005: So you say.

Enjoy the final chapter.

* * *

><p>Bonus Chapter: My First Day<p>

As soon as we got back in the training Hall after our talk and re-introducing each other again, Shifu told me that if I'm gonna be a new member here, I gotta show them if I have some training skills. My heart immediately stopped when I heard him say that and I became super-nervous because of the fact that I'm standing to a couple of experienced, awesome kung-fu masters who have done this for years and Po has done it for like weeks.

I stared at Shifu and asked, "What do I have to do now?"

"You can start on hitting this dummy." Shifu answered.

I looked at it and the dummy looks just like Po and I just kinda felt a big sense of nervousness inside of me and a voice in the back of my head told me, 'Dude, don't screw this up.' I sighed heavily and let out a small jab on the stomach, which barely moved. I bit my lip just thinking that I need to put aside my nerves and just go for it, so I did it again, this time a little harder.

Suddenly, it kinda hit me a little that I really hit the dummy hard and most of them were impressed, so I did it again only a lot harder and then, I attempted to jump and kick it hard as it hit the wall and then bounced back. It left most of them surprised and amazed that I actually did that and I was pretty shocked myself.

"Musaki..." Shifu whispered.

I turned around and asked, "Was that my fault?"

"No. That was...incredible."

"How did you even manage to do something like that?" asked Tigress.

"Training most of my life. Started when I was 2 by my dad then gave up on it after my parents died and then got back on it when I was 4 or 5 and kept doing it and also when I got to see you guys in a show in the orphanage, it made me feel re-inspired to re-do kung fu and I guess that for me, I've been on and off until I got back on when I got older. Sometimes through tragedy, it seems as though kung fu almost helped me get through it. Almost. It's like a continue with it or give it up and there were a few attempts to because of my grieving, but it was the only way to get me through my difficult time in my life. Well that and playing the flute, so..."

I stopped because I felt like I could bore them on purpose and I chuckled softly and said, "Sorry. Was I rambling?"

"A little, but you kinda made sense. A lot of times, overcoming tragedy is hard, but kung-fu pretty much helps you escape the sadness that you were in." Crane said.

"Crane's correct. Sometimes there are two choices when facing tragedy-either move forward or let it haunt you for the rest of your life." Shifu added.

It's like he already opened my mind about it and it was like a 'Where were you when I needed that 10 years ago?' thing. I have been guilty of letting it get to me for so long and I'll be honest, Shifu was right. I breathed slowly and asked, "So...what now?"

"Well, you get to spar with most of the members." Shifu answered.

"Cool..."

"Who do you want to spar with first? Being that it's your first day of living here, you get to pick who gets to go first."

I was very confident in choosing who do I spar with first and it seemed like an easy choice for me or at least I thought it might be. I looked over at the Five and literally within a quick second, I looked at Crane and I figured that he'd be the one to start off with, just because he's really cool with what he does. So, I looked at Shifu and said, "I'll let Crane spar with me."

Crane nodded his head and stepped in front of me and I was geeking out about it. The fact that I have to spar with one of my idols from the Five really made me think like is this reality? I put on my game face and Crane puts on his and as soon as Shifu told us to go, we were sparring like crazy. His crane style mixed in with my amazing moves went together gradually. He started swinging and I saw showing off my moves, like a mixture a dance and kung-fu. When he came to charge at me, I did a backflip in the air and landed back on the ground.

I starting swinging at him and he managed to dodge it and I did the same when he swung at me and then, Shifu stops us and he said, "Excellent, both of you."

We were breathing heavily and bowed to Shifu as well. I looked at Shifu and said, "Could've done better, huh?"

"That's an understatement. It looks like you have it." Shifu said.

"I do?"

"Yes. I have never seen moves like that since...well...I've never seen anything like that before."

"Congrats. You just wowed Shifu." Crane said, smiling.

"Thanks."

"Okay, who's next?" asked Shifu.

"Viper."

She comes in next and I knew from that moment that she was ready for me. I chuckled softly and started using my kung-fu combative stance to spar with her. She flew up from behind and struck me down with her tail and I went in and tried to get her by swinging at her, but she went in and struck me in the back. I grabbed her by the tail and threw her across the room, but she came back and I tripped down on the ground. We both sparred with each other with every move both of us made and after that, we looked at each other and it's completely clear that both of us appear to be much stronger and faster than both of us thought.

Shifu chuckled and said, "Impressive."

"Thank you, master." Viper said.

"I guess I was okay." I said.

"Not just okay. You were brilliant."

I wasn't used to compliments like that unless Shakur and Brutus were giving me amazing praise for my moves. Then, it leaves to three members and already I was anxious to choose which one to spar with next. I looked over at them and then I immediately decided who to spar with next.

"I pick Mantis."

Mantis immediately hopped on top of my left shoulder and said, "You have yet to see what I can do."

"You're gonna use your moves on me, right?"

I looked over at my shoulder and found that he wasn't there and when I tried to look for him, I was being picked up, spun around and then bounced around the room. I ended up on the floor and he hopped over to my chest and said, "I'm so quick you can barely find me."

He hops out and I was pretty much ready for combat, but I had to be very careful not to squish him. So when he went up high, I went in and took him down a little bit with my finger. And then, he went back up in the air and suddenly, I leaned over to the other side which made him miss his aim.

All of the other masters gasped in awe and I was surprised to even see it for myself and I asked, "How did I do that?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, dude." Mantis said, surprised.

I was shocked to see that I leaned across the floor without even falling and then I leaned back and stood standing. I chuckled softly and said to myself, "I don't know what I did, but I think this is cool."

"I'll say." Po said.

"That was amazing." Shifu said.

"You know, I think I'm warming up to this kid already." Mantis said.

"Who's next to take on?"

"I vote...Monkey."

Monkey whoops a little and then brought out his bamboo stick and he gave me one as well and I asked, "What up with the sticks?"

He lets out a mischevious chuckle and only said, "You'll see."

I could already see that he's ready for me and he twirls around the staff and I had small experiences with it and I started sparring with him with it and both sticks clack together and I attempted to go up above him and come from behind and he could tell that I have big tricks up my sleeve. As soon as we did the sticks, we sparred without them and he swiped me with his tail and when it came time to do it again, I suddenly dodged a few of his blows and then went invisible. He couldn't see where I was and then, I went in and sparred with him thinking that he did it to himself and when I became visible, I went behind him and literally went on the floor and did a break-dance moves with my feet on the air and struck him down and got back on the ground.

Both Monkey and Crane's jaw dropped to the ground when they saw me do those moves. It also surprised Po as well and Shifu closed his jaw for him to avoid drool on the floor.

"I think I'm giving myself an 8." I said.

"An 8? More like an 18!" Monkey exclaimed.

"That was incredible.." Viper whispered.

"Thanks."

Eventually, Tigress came in last and when she came in front of me, she wasn't quite cool with me sparring with her last. She snarled at me and said, "I've been doing this longer than you."

"Was that before or after I was born?" I asked.

Immediately, she lunged at me, but I managed to dodge her moves before she got to me. Then, she turned around and saw me behind her and she felt definitely ticked that I avoided it and she went in and managed to swing at my face, but I managed to curl into a ball and rolled down between her legs and went in behind her and then when she ran towards me, I used my gravity lean again to dodge her blows again.

She became frustrated and I became cocky in a sense that she couldn't handle the fact that there was more experience I have than what she had. I knew how strong she was and I guess in a way, I kinda used it against her. So when she managed to make me fall down, I jumped up in the air and crouched-down combat style to dodge her moves and then I kicked and swung at her.

Shifu's jaw dropped down after I managed to take her down and he suddenly felt like my skills blew him away. He said, "It's impossible to beat out Tigress."

"Guess I made it possible."

"You most certainly did."

Tigress stood up and she felt angry knowing that I became more fierce and quick than her and she let out a glaring, angry look at me like 'You cannot be better than me' kind of look. Then, it was me and Po's turn to spar with each other and I immediately felt very focused on how I might take him down.

"Ready, Saki?" asked Po.

"I've been waiting for this for 8 weeks."

Then, we started sparring and he began to use his butt to take me down and then used his stomach to aim it at my face, but I managed to get on top of him by jumping on his stomach, went behind him and took him down with one punch. He runs over and then I jumped up with my legs apart and went the other side and he ended up landing on the wall hard.

Then, I did a backflip and a frontflip when he came at me and then, I managed to literally kick his butt with my face. Po fell down to the ground after that and Mantis was amazed and said, "The Dragon Warrior has finally been beaten by a 13-year old."

Shifu looked at me with a smirk and said, "I've always wanted to do that."

"Yeah, don't know how it happened."

Po gets himself up and said, "That was awesome. I haven't been beaten like that since one of the little bunnies tried to spar with me. Hey, now that you sparred with me and the Five, you get to spar with Shifu."

"Really?'

"Sure. Every student knows that after you spar with us, you get to spar with the master." Viper said.

I was definitely amped up for this moment and I get to spar with the Grand Master. The only thing was...how do I spar with someone his size? But I know if I made one comment, he was gonna knock me down hard. Shifu chuckled softly and said, "You up for it?"

"You know I am."

So, we stared at each other and he came at me quickly and when I tried to land a few blows, he managed to dodge them very quickly. So, I had a huge challenge to face up with, but I was willing to finish it off. He flipped me across the room and then I flipped him back while he was on his feet. As soon as he went up, I grabbed his feet and landed him down and then, we ended up using the stick to take each other down and he flips and goes faster while holding it and for me it was like there's no stopping him. But soon I found out that there was one way to do so...when he flies up to get me, I got out of the way by standing on my head and then dodging his blows.

Shifu landed on the ground and then, I used my skills to confuse him by getting behind him and in front of him and then struck him down. I panted heavily and said, "Guess big things do come in small packages."

He gets up and then, he said, "Very impressive. You are now officially one of us."

Most of the Five and Po suddenly cheered for me after hearing that I am one of them now. For the first time in my life, I have found two things...being accepted and finally got myself some stability. I laughed softly and said, "This is the coolest day of my life."

Later on, we went into the kitchen and it was the first time I have ever been to one and I ask, "What do you guys do here?"

"Mostly eat and socialize." Viper answered.

"Play some games if necessary." Monkey added.

"I cook here." Po said.

"No way. You cook?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised."

As soon as Po starts cooking, I felt like this might be good. I mean, whatever he's making, it's gotta be good, right? As soon as he puts in the noodles on the bowl and passed it around to everyone including me, I wasn't sure how it might taste. Everyone totally made a compliment on Po's cooking and Po noticed that I was definitely nervous to see what it's like. He looked at me with a smile to try it out. With that, I picked up my spoon and tried it out and the flavor of it really blew me away.

"Dude...this is the best soup I ever tasted."

"Glad you like it."

"This is the best thing I ever put in my mouth in 9 years."

"9 years?"

"Why 9 years?" asked Tigress.

"Well, I've never had anything like this back at the orphanage. All we had were just bean buns and other stuff. In fact, I remember the one time I ate noodles was when someone came in with a cart passing out noodles to every orphan and I was pretty much the only one sitting alone in a table because I was too depressed. When I tried it, it was so good, I had to ask someone to give me seconds because I was too shy to go get some myself."

"To be honest, me and my dad always did charity work for passing out every bowl of noodles to the orphanage for those that needed food."

"See, I didn't know that until you explained it just now." Crane said.

"Well hey. We couldn't let these orphans go hungry. It always feels good to serve those that have less hunger."

"You couldn't even go anywhere with an empty stomach nor less hunger." Mantis added.

I started laughing because I thought it was too funny and he said, "You know, this is my first time actually sitting down with a real family or with anyone for that matter because I was used to being alone everyday."

"We always come around at the end of the day to not only admire Po's cooking, but just to talk about everything." Viper said.

"That's cool."

"This might be a good experience for you." Shifu said.

"I hope you're right."

"Hey, wait a minute. Weren't you one of those kids that excused himself and went back to his room?" asked Po.

"Guilty."

"Wow, I only talked to you for a few minutes and you were always so sad. Now it seems like...you're happy now."

"I am, thanks to you."

Later, Shifu and the rest of the gang took me to an empty room and he told me that it was mine. I chuckled softly and said, "I could get used to this."

"You should."

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

Musaki: Well, that is it. This ends 'Walking Through My Dark Scars and Wounds'. My creator and I absolutely appreciate you guys sending out some reviews and to read my backstory on how I got to live in the Jade palace with my awesome adopted family.

Animation Universe 2005: Shout-out to my awesome friend, vampire1031 for coming up with the title name as well as leaving some reviews as well. To Tan-Tan Tanuki, you stuck by me and got to read Musaki's adventure. Musaki deeply appreciates it the most and so do I. So, thanks for your support. To Jo 'Po' Navark, our awesome friend, thanks a million for liking this fic. And Musaki knows what it feels like to be bullied and always remember, it always gets better. Thanks for reading and reviewing as well. And with my new friends here that like this story, thank you so much for your awesome support.

Musaki: Thank you guys so much for liking this fic.

Animation Universe 2005: I'll be back with a new story, so until then Animation Universe 2005 is out of here!

Musaki: Me too!

Both: SKADOOSH!


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